Jude's New Perspective
by Infernostar01
Summary: In a world where Pokemon have taken over, Jude has been staying as far away as possible, living out in the Wilderness. Sadly, the new world has other plans as to how he should be living. Inspired by Rosa's New Perspective.
1. Chapter 1

**You probably guessed that this story was inspired by Rosa's New Perspective. Good on you for guessing that correctly, but trust me, this is going to take a different approach than the other stories inspired by that story.**

 **Jude's New Perspective**

 **Chapter 1:**

The War between Pokémon and Humans had been over for months, with Pokémon taking ownership of the world as we knew it. Many humans were still resistant to this new world order, and stayed in hiding to avoid being forced into a new way of life, but more and more humans were being captured as each day.

Deep within the forest surrounding Mt. Silver, the sounds of a radio broadcasting could be heard. Isolated in such a remote area, no one could pick up on it save for a lone individual listening to the news report playing.

"Yes, it seems that with time we will soon have tracked down all the remaining humans living out in the wilderness. Someday soon the Human Adoption Agency will not have to worry about the children out there, struggling to survi-"

The broadcast was cut short, as Jude changed the station to something less irritating. "I am not helpless, so stop assuming we are all struggling."

Jude had been living off the land for several months, and was doing quite well despite what the new Pokémon government seemed to think. At 15 years old he had quite a bit of experience in camping, and came more than prepared for a long term journey.

At the moment Jude had set up a makeshift campsite while he looked over his supplies. His 50 lb. Backpack was filled to the brim with his survival essentials, as well as his most important personal belongings, and an assortment of tools for quick escapes. His clothing consisted of his red jacket, a white undershirt, gray pants, and black hiking boots.

Jude pulled out a cassette tape he had been carrying, and hit the record button. "Captain's Log, its been roughly 5 months since we have started our little expedition, and so far its gone smoothly. We've had a few bumps with patrols, but we have managed to stay one step ahead of them."

Quickly he turned off the recording and pulled out some berries to munch on. It was rather late in the day, and Jude had set up a campfire to keep himself warm. Jude knew he would need to keep moving as patrols were becoming more and more frequent around Mt. Silver, so he would have to get a move on.

After finishing his rather light dinner, he doused the fire by covering it in dirt, grabbed his pack and continued on his way. "I have to keep moving. I can't afford to be caught now." Jude thought as he made his way through the woods, keeping himself far off from the trail.

 _3 Hours Later…_

The sun had set, with night making its way across the landscape. As darkness covered the region, a patrol from the Human Adoption Agency, or HAA, started searching the area. The patrol consisted of a Crobat, a Noctowl, and a Luxray. They had heard reports of a human living out in the wilderness near Mt. Silver, and were hot on the trail.

The patrol had just come across a recently abandoned campsite, and were searching the area for clues as to where the human may have gone. "I have footprints! This way!" The Luxray said, as the Crobat and Noctowl followed after them. Whoever this human was, they had been living out here for a long time, and must be starving. The patrol agreed that they needed to find them as soon as possible.

Jude was humming an old tune to himself when he heard the voices far behind him. He had dealt with this type of situation before, but didn't think that they would have caught up so fast. He knew he wouldn't be able to simply outrun them carrying such a large pack, so he decided he would use a different tactic.

Quickly he removed his backpack and attached it to a high branch on a nearby tree, taking some supplies with him for now in case the plan backfired. He took off running in the opposite direction of Mt. Silver, making as much noise as humanly possible.

The patrol quickly picked up on the sounds ahead of them, and tripled their pace. "Whoever this human is, they must have found out about us following them!" The Crobat said as they three raced after him, eventually seeing a faint outline of the human running ahead of them. The Crobat zoomed ahead of the other two, flying in front of the human, who stopped dead in his tracks, allowing the Luxray and the Noctowl to catch up.

Jude kept his mouth shut as the patrol surrounded him. He knew that muttering just one word could cause issues for him, and he didn't want them remembering anything about him. The Luxray took a step forward, wearing a uniform with a HAA badge on it.

"Its ok, there is no a need to be afraid, we are here to help you." The Luxray said to Jude. He knew that was bullshit, and observed his opponents while planning out his escape route. He knew Luxrays could see through walls, Crobats moved extremely fast, and Noctowls had excellent night vision. This was a tight situation, since they could match any sort of trick he had up his sleeve.

"My name is Lucy. We are with the HAA, and we are here to save you" The Luxray said as it took a step forward. Upon hearing that statement, Jude's hand curled up into a fist. "Don't lie to me." He said as he stared down the Luxray, his eyes burning with rage.

Lucy and the others were shocked to hear such an agitated response from the human. They knew many humans were resistant to accepting the new world, but this one seemed to actively despise it. "What do you mean?" She asked him, as the Crobat and Noctowl slowly inched closer to him.

"…If I needed saving, you wouldn't be chasing after me like a predator chasing down its dinner." He responded as he suddenly slammed a smoke bomb down on the ground, covering the area in a black haze. Alarmed by the surprise, The Pokémon inched back as he suddenly lunged from the smoke, flinging dirt into the eyes of the Noctowl, and throwing said Pokémon into the Crobat.

Lucy stood there dumbfounded by what she was witnessing as the human suddenly took off in a full-blown sprint from them. She took a second to collect herself before running after him, with the Crobat and Noctowl soon following her. "What kind of a human is this boy?" She asked them as they chased after him.

Jude knew he had a very limited time-frame to pull this off, so he was relying on his adrenaline to get him out of this situation. He leaped up to the tree branch and pulled his pack down, strapping it on while he continued running before coming to a stop at the base of Mt. Silver.

He slipped off the pack before pulling out a grappling hook from the main compartment, tying one end of it to himself before sending the other end as high as he could throw it. As the hook came back down it managed to snag onto one of the rock formations higher up on the mountain. Doing a few tugs to test the line, Jude started scrambling his way up the rope, his adrenaline giving him the energy to carry his pack with him up so high.

Lucy and the patrol thought they had managed to catch up to the boy before coming to a stop at the base of Mt. Silver. There was no sign of the boy, yet the trail stopped right here. "How did we lose him?!" The Crobat said as both it and the Noctowl starting frantically looking around to try and find him.

"We won't be able to get anywhere just searching for him in a frenzy" Lucy responded to the others. "We should just cut our losses for tonight, and resume our search tomorrow." The Crobat and Noctowl nodded their heads in agreement as they made their way back to HQ.

Jude breathed a sigh of relief to himself as he watched from above. He had barely managed to pull himself up before they showed up, and was taking cover within the rocks high above. The adrenaline from before had worn off, and he was gasping for breath as he laid there, contemplating what to do next.

"It's unlikely they will pursue any further tonight, so we can use this opportunity to rest. However, we'd need to be ready to take off at a moments notice come tomorrow morning…Eh screw it I need to rest." Jude removed his pack, rolled up the grappling hook and put it back inside the pack before using it as a makeshift pillow and drifting off to sleep…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

 _The Next Day…_

At what was once Blackthorn City lies a station for the HAA. Here units are deployed with the task of tracking down any runaway humans and bringing them in for adoption.

Lucy was talking with her boss regarding the human they encountered around Mt. Silver. The Noctowl and Crobat she was with were off to the side, muttering to each other about how they should try to catch the human.

"So, you mean to tell me that this human was able to escape 3 of our best officers, without a trace? HOW?!" Her boss exclaimed. Lucy's boss was a Scizor by the name of John Stark, formerly a high-ranking official when the War started. He had a lot of experience in capturing humans, and was shocked to hear about one that outdid his best officers.

"I don't know what to tell you sir. He was prepared, and we weren't. Simple as that." Lucy responded. She was still thinking about what the human had said, comparing them to predators chasing down prey. Why did that sentence stick in her head? she wondered.

"Did you at least get a decent visual of this human? We need something to go off of for reference before we send anyone else after them." John was preparing to send out a larger search party than before to track this rogue down, and needed a reference as to what they looked like.

"I did not, but Officer Nox did." Lucy responded as the Noctowl stepped forward. "I was able to get a good look at the boy's face. He had an older face compared to some of the other runaway children we've seen, and short blonde hair. Though there was one issue…"

"And that is?" John asked.

"When I saw his eyes the first time, they appeared brown, but…right before he took off running, I swear his eyes were red." Officer Nox responded, seeming hesitant about that answer.

"…Odd. I've never heard of a human having something like that. Officer Long!" John shouted, catching a Smeargle behind him off guard before scrambling to attention. "I want a sketch of this humans' face. Show it to them before sending it off to print, on the double!" He barked the order as Officer Long ran off in a hurry.

"Officer Sparks!" Lucy's attention snapped back to her boss. "I want you and the other two to lead this hunt. I will not rest until we find this boy and bring him in, understood?"

"Yes sir!" She responded, as Officer Long suddenly came running back in. "SIR. What should we refer to this human as?"

John stood there for a moment, claw to his face, pondering the question. "Hm. A human who, by himself, was able to outmaneuver three highly trained officers of the HAA…" He turned to Officer Long. "Title it as 'The Lone Ranger'."

Officer Long saluted before running off again, as Lucy thought about that name. _Lone Ranger… what exactly are you doing so far out in the wilderness?_ She thought.

 _Meanwhile..._

Jude was trudging across Mt. Silver, doing his best to avoid falling. After awaking with a start this morning he had an early breakfast and set out to distance himself from that spot.

 _I will not let myself be caught so easily_ he thought as he reached a rather steep drop. He sighed at the sight of it before pulling out his grappling hook again, this time attaching the hook to a nearby stone. After tying it to himself he tugged a few times to test it, before rappelling his way down to the bottom.

Eventually he made his way down, and yanked the top of the rope, causing the hook to dislodge and drop down into his hand. _God, where would I be without you, grappling hook?_ He thought as he put it back in its place within his backpack, before continuing onward.

As he continued moving he pulled out his recorder again and pressed the record button. "Captains log. We were greeted by unwanted guests, but were luckily able to escape them." He turned the recorder off before sighing to himself.

"When will they learn that I will never accept their way of life, and would much rather live as far away from it as possible?" He said to himself, pulling out an apple from his pack to eat. He took a bite from it as he pondered the question to himself. "They just wont quit until everyone is under their control."

With that he threw the apple on the ground and stomped on it with his boot. His fists were clenched and his teeth were gritted, before he slumped his shoulders and sighed. "Dammit. I have got to keep it together" He said, before continuing on his way.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lucy was gearing up with the others to head out to find the Lone Ranger, as he was now called. She called the other officers to attention before reminding them of the assignment.

"Remember, we are to capture and bring back the Lone Ranger in one piece. I will not tolerate unnecessary physical abuse on him in any way, shape or form. Do I make myself clear?" The other officers nodded their heads in agreement to that statement.

"Alright, lets head out then." She said as she turned to the exit and started to leave, with other officers following. _Let's hope we can convince him to come quietly_ she thought as they headed off towards Mt. Silver.

 _Back At Mt. Silver…_

Night was drawing near once more, and Jude knew that the patrol would be back to try and track him down. "I need to get some distance" He said to himself as he doubled his pace.

Jude was willing to bet money that the Pokémon had brought backup from last time, not wanting to wind up empty handed a second time. He couldn't guess the number they'd bring, but still predicted it'd be larger, so he knew he would need a plan for if things went south.

Quickly he slipped off his backpack and did a look over of his survival supplies section of his pack. He had with him an assortment of canned foods, water, a tent for sleeping, smoke bombs, his grappling hook, a box of matches, some extra rope and bungee cord, fishing line and bait, a can of bug spray, and a pocketknife. _I got an idea_ he thought as he pulled out a few of his supplies and shoved them into his pockets, preparing for the worst.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Night draws once more, as the patrol arrives around the area where the Lone Ranger was last seen. The Pokémon spread out to search the area for any kind of clue to his whereabouts.

Lucy was scanning the area when she noticed something peculiar. She walked over to what appeared to be a half-eaten apple. It only had a few bites, but looked as though it had been crushed under a boot. She looked around and noticed there was a trail of fresh tracks, covered in juice.

"I found something! This way!" She exclaimed as she started following the tracks, the other officers soon following behind her.

 _Meanwhile…_

Jude was prepared this time. He had once again hidden his pack in a nearby tree, and was only carrying a small amount of materials with him. But boy did he have a nasty surprise for the patrol when they showed up.

 _They won't know what hit them_ he thought as he prepared himself. Right as he finished assembling what he needed he heard the sound of nearby footsteps. _Let the hunt begin I suppose_ he thought as he climbed up a nearby tree.

The Patrol soon found themselves at the end of the trail Lucy found. "Everyone spread out and search. The Lone Ranger must be around here somewhere." She commanded, as the other officers started looking around for any trace of him.

Lucy looked around, when a thought struck her. _This is just like before. We had a trail and suddenly lost him. Is it possible he went…_ She finished that thought for herself by looking up into the trees, and seeing a faint silhouette of a human hanging from one of them.

"UP THERE!" She exclaimed, causing everyone in the patrol to snap their attention to where her gaze was, as Jude suddenly dropped down to the ground, carrying something in each of his hands.

The patrol quickly surrounded Jude, as he stood his ground. He knew that showing weakness would give them more incentive to take him down, and he needed to plan this down to the last possible moment for it to work. He looked around and saw that he was completely surrounded by Pokémon, all of which towered over him in size. He'd heard reports that many Pokémon had taken medication that increased their size during the War, but he didn't think it would be to this degree. Last time he was lucky it was only three, but this time he had no easy escape route.

"Please, come quietly with us. We do not want to hurt you." Lucy said to him as she took a single step forward. She was worried that their experience last time had tainted his view of them even more, and wanted to amend that.

"…If you didn't want to hurt me, then you should have left me alone in the first place." He retorted, not budging an inch, but still staring Lucy down, his eyes red with anger.

 _So Officer Nox wasn't lying when he said he saw red eyes_ Lucy thought. She'd seen him stare her down before, but those eyes just helped to intensify the anger she sensed from him.

"I promise, we want to help. Please, come with us so we can help you." She responded, trying to reason with him. He stood unmoving, as some of the other Officers inched themselves closer to him.

"I said, Leave Me Alone!" Jude exclaimed as he showed what he had in his hands. In one he had his can of bugspray, and in another he had a match, which he lit upon saying that. Before anyone could get close enough to stop him, he spun around, spraying the bugspray, while holding his match in front of it. This ignited the spray into a makeshift flamethrower, causing all the surrounding Pokémon to be pushed back by the flames.

Alarmed by the sudden use of fire, Lucy and the other officers scramble back, shocked to see a child using such a violent form of self-defense. As they recollected themselves they realize that he had ignited a ring of fire around him, blocking them out of his reach.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Lucy exclaimed as he started concentrating his flamethrower onto some nearby trees, setting them ablaze. Immediately the nearby officers started trying to put out the fire, but to little avail.

"Until you learn to let me live in peace, I will not hold back!" Jude retorted, using the diversion to leap out of the fire and break off into a sprint away from them. He knew that the fire would buy him some time, as both people and Pokémon alike will drop anything to stop a fire from turning into a wildfire. As he looked behind him he was shocked to see that the Luxray who tried to talk to him was tailing him, and gaining fast.

"Running from your problems won't solve them!" She exclaimed as she rushed to catch him. The other Pokémon were tasked with putting out the fire, but she wouldn't let him escape this time. As she started closing the gap between them, he suddenly raised both of his hands and grabbed a low hanging branch, using his moment to spin up, over, and behind Lucy. Before she could even turn around he was already running in the opposite direction.

 _Persistent Pokémon, I'll say that much_ Jude thought as he slammed another smoke bomb down. With the black haze covering the already hard to see woods, he used this opportunity to retrieve his backpack. He hastily shoved the bugspray and box of matches back inside before getting back up and running while slinging it on. Not a second after running he sees the Luxray break through the smoke, still on his trail. _Dammit! Why won't you let up_ He thought to himself, before abruptly coming to a stop.

 _...Oh shit._ He thought as he realized what he was seeing. The woods were ablaze, as the other officers were desperately trying to douse the flames. Some of them were Water Types, but the flames were just too overwhelming for them. The others were scooping up dirt and attempting to use that to extinguish the fire before it spread any further.

Lucy finally caught up to the Lone Ranger, before getting to see just what he had stopped for. "Oh my Arceus…" She said as she saw the flames blazing before her. Without hesitation she rushed in and joined the others in trying to douse the flames. She used her hind legs to kick up as much dirt as possible to smother the flames. The flames started to dwindle, but her efforts were not enough to stop it. _Come on, we just need a bit more_ She thought before seeing something jump into view.

 _I am going to regret this_ Jude thought as leaped into the fray, carrying with him a bag full of dirt and baking soda. He'd used this a few times to douse his campfires, but still had a large surplus since he could usually just use the dirt around the campsites. He didn't hesitant to unfasten the strings keeping the bag closed as he began coating the fire in the substance, causing it to immediately go out.

Lucy and the other officers watched in awe as within moments he had extinguished the rest of the fire. _How did he do that so fast?_ She asked herself as he closed up the bag and reattached it to his pack. It was held on with some bungee cord near the top of his pack, keeping it suspended in place. Without another word he stood up, put his pack on, and started to walk away. It took a moment for Lucy to realize that he was getting away before she called out to him.

"Stop!" Jude heard as he walked away from the disaster he caused. He turned around to see the Luxray and other Pokémon looking at him, mixed emotions on their faces, ranging from shocked to disturbed. The Luxray took another step forward before speaking again. "I'm going to ask one more time. Please, come with us. We want to help you. You don't have to live in fear of us." Jude sighed to himself before coming up with a response.

"Look. It's clear to me that you won't leave me alone. But I have no intention of coming with you either. You're little Revolution ruined my life, and I will never be able to get back what I lost. So FUCK OFF." He yelled, causing the Pokémon to reel in response. But before he could turn and walk off, a rumbling sound caught his attention.

"WATCH OUT" Lucy exclaimed, as one of the burnt trees from the collapsed on one side. Before Jude had a chance to run, the tree fell, crushing him underneath it.

"GYAH" He exclaimed as the force slammed his body into the ground, along with his pack crushing down on him. _Damn, I was…careless…_ Was all he could muster to himself before he lost consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

The Blackthorn Hospital was not often filled to the brim with patients. Ever since the Revolution Pokémon had done a rather good job keeping humans from getting hurt. That wasn't the case tonight however, as they suddenly had a group of HAA Officers rushing in with an unconscious boy.

The Nurses scrambled to get things sorted out for the new arrival, with one of them, a Tyranitar, asking the one in charge of the Officers for information. "What exactly happened to him?" She asked Lucy.

"He was crushed by a falling tree. He was barely breathing when we managed to get it off of him. What is going to happen to him?" Lucy responded, concerned about what would become of The Lone Ranger.

"We are going to have to check his entire body for injuries. If anything major is damaged we may need to operate. We are also going to need his personal information. Do you have his name?"

"…No, we don't. I was unable to get his name. We only know him by his title around the HAA, The Lone Ranger."

"Well, then we will have to take a blood sample and check his fingerprints instead. Please excuse me" And with that, the Tyranitar turned to see Jude now lying on a stretcher, being carried off to the x-ray room for examination.

"Please be careful with him. He isn't a bad boy, but he seems to have a serious vendetta against Pokémon" Lucy said as she watched him be carried away.

"Nothing we haven't seen before Officer. Lots of humans claimed to have issues with Pokémon after the Revolution, but all of you at the HAA helped to fix that." The Tyranitar nurse responded, before turning around and heading after the stretcher.

Lucy took a moment to let that statement sink in. _Our job is to make sure every human is happy. But, I don't think we can do that with this one_. Based on what she had seen, The Lone Ranger wanted nothing more than total solitude from the world they had created. How could they possibly convince him otherwise? She sat there and tried to ponder the question until she could find a rational way to do so.

 _The Next Day…_

Jude stirred in his sleep, groggily opening his eyes to see he was in a hospital room. Once this realization struck him, he immediately tried to sit up, where he felt a sharp pain in his back. He moaned in pain as he tried to reach back and feel the spot that hurt, only for him to feel a layer of bandages. _What the... What happened to me?_ He stopped to think about this before remembering what happened last night.

 _I was crushed by that tree… And passed out._ He tried to recall anything else, but his mind was blank after that. "Shit. 5 months out in the wilderness, and it's not disease or running out of food that gets me, but a goddamn tree!" Jude pounded the hospital bed in frustration, then stopped to try and recollect himself. He examined his surroundings and himself to survey the damage.

He was wearing a white hospital gown with bandages wrapped around his upper body. The room he was in seemed rather basic, with the hospital bed being in the center of the room, a television in front of him, a bathroom to the left, and another door out into the hallway to the right. There was a window by the bathroom, but from what he could tell he was at least a few stories up.

"Dammit. How am I supposed to rappel down with such a large…wait a minute, where's my pack?!" Jude scanned the room again to find that it wasn't here, sending him into a full-blown panic. "Oh god, if they open my pack…No, no, they can't." Jude stopped and breathed a sigh of relief at his revelation. He remembered that Pokémon from the HAA legally couldn't search his personal belongings, so he was safe for now.

Before he could figure out what to do next, he heard a conversation going on outside. Not wanting to have to talk to anyone right now, he put his head down and pretended to be asleep. He heard the door open and the sounds of what he guessed was a bipedal and a quadrupedal Pokémon.

"Are you kidding me?! You have nothing at all on him?!"

"I'm telling you what I know Officer Sparks. There is no information on file for this boy, even with the blood sample and fingerprints. It seems that our Lone Ranger friend did quite a thorough data scrub on his records. And until we can get some information out of him, we don't have any leads on him. I'll leave you to it Officer."

With that Jude heard the sound of footsteps as who he assumed was the nurse left, leaving the Luxray still in the room with him. _If I recall, I believe her name was Lucy. Lucy Sparks_ he thought to himself as he waited to hear something else.

Lucy stood there, looking over The Lone Ranger. She was still racking her brain to try and figure out how she could get him to open up to her. Though she did still realize one thing that was going on here, and decided to test it out. "…I know you are awake." She said calmly, causing his eyes to jolt open out of surprise. "There we go. I thought you looked uncomfortable sleeping in that position."

Jude stayed silent, not wanting to make this situation any worse. He was glad to know that they didn't have the files on his personal information, which meant his identity was a secret, and that they couldn't have gone through his backpack. He avoided eye contact, trying to find something else to focus his attention on, when Lucy walked back into his line of sight.

"I know you don't want to talk, and I won't make you. Though I am willing to bet you were awake listening to our conversation." He looked away after that message, causing Lucy to sigh. "Just as I thought. You know that your personal information is completely unknown, and I imagine that it is your doing. I won't ask that you tell us your life story, but we still need some sort of information from you."

Jude was not amused that he was still being pressed for information about his personal life. He realized that she wouldn't go away until he said something, so he decided to try a different approach. "No thanks. You want my personal life? I want my backpack, and a one-way ticket back to the wilderness. Once again you Pokémon got me into this mess, and now you are going to get me out." And with that he put his poker face back on, refusing to say another word.

Lucy sighed at what she heard. She anticipated getting the cold shoulder from him, but it didn't make her job any easier. "Look, I am sorry that we apparently have caused so many issues in your life. But I implore you, at the very least, give us your name. We don't even have anything on your blood record. A name would be a serious help for us."

Jude contemplated actually giving her that information. He realized that there would be very little risk since they don't have his personal information, but at the same time, that name was not something he felt would be much use to anyone anyway. "Alright, I have a better idea. I'll give you that name, but I only want you to be the one that knows it. To everyone else, I am The Lone Ranger. Got it?"

Lucy was relieved to hear that. While it wasn't much, he was at least starting to open up to her, and if she was careful she could get him to warm up more to her. "Deal. Now spill it Ranger."

"You Officer Sparks, can call me Jude. Jude McCoy. But just you. And if I catch wind of anyone else speaking that name I'm going mute."

"Thank you, Jude. I promise, no one else will know that name." She said with a smile. _Finally, a connection. This I can work with._ "I'll see you later. Get some rest. The doctors say that tree fractured your spine, so try not to move around too much." With that, Lucy walked out of the room to report her findings to the HAA.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

 _A Few Days Later…_

Despite keeping his rather cold-shouldered behavior, Jude was slowly but surely opening up to Lucy. He stayed almost completely silent around anyone else, especially the other Officers, but if it was just the two of them he was perfectly fine talking about a few things. He still wouldn't say next to anything about his past, but at least he was talking to her.

At the moment they were partaking in a conversation about how the legal system had changed from the Revolution. Much to Lucy's surprise, Jude knew quite a lot about the new laws in place. "I'm rather impressed. You know quite a bit about the new laws for someone who has been living out in the woods for months."

"Well, I had a radio out there. How do you think I stayed informed on current events, and more importantly, patrol formations?" He immediately regretted dropping that last statement and looked away from Lucy, who seemed to be giggling at what he said.

"Clever. I must admit, you are without question the most prepared human that we've ever encountered. Some of the humans that we find are in need of serious attention before we find them. You on the other hand were honestly doing better than some of the Pokémon that live in this city."

Jude was still not sure if he said too much with that last statement. If he ever did get back to the Wilderness, he likely wouldn't hear much, if anything about the patrols with the radio again. Though that did also remind him about something important.

"So. I've given you quite a bit about myself, and I still haven't seen anything regarding my pack. Now why is that?" He asked Lucy, who sighed upon hearing that.

"I'm sorry Jude, but my boss has me by the tail. I haven't even had a chance to see your backpack, much less get it back to you. Plus as you already know, we can't exactly access your personal belongings without your permission."

 _Dammit. Still no way I am getting my backpack anytime soon_ Jude thought to himself. He wasn't able to give his permission to search through his belongings to anyone, but at the same time it pained him that he wouldn't have a chance to see it soon.

"Hmmmmmmmmm." He muttered to himself as he contemplated what to do. Lucy realized that he was deep in thought, and decided not to press him for what he was thinking about. She waited for him to stop before asking anymore questions.

"Dammit. Nevermind, continue on." She was still somewhat bothered by the rather vulgar vocabulary Jude possessed, but it was probably better that he was speaking his mind than clamming up on her.

"Just relax, you will get your pack back soon, I promise. Though why do you need it anyway? You still aren't healthy enough to even leave this room, let alone head back to the woods." Now it was Lucy's turn to wish that she hadn't said something, as Jude's attention snapped back to her, his eyes once again red with anger.

"I'll give you one guess. Why would I, someone you do not possess any personal information on whatsoever, possibly be so concerned about the only thing he had on his person?"

After hearing that, Lucy felt like kicking herself. _How could I have missed something so obvious?_ She thought to herself. No duh, of course he has some personal information about himself in that backpack. _If we could open up that pack…Wait, no. We can't. Not so long as we don't have permission from him._

"That's it. I'm done talking for today. And I want you out of my sight." Jude retorted, looking like he was ready to knock someone flat on their ass if they so much as looked at him wrong.

"But Jude, I"

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT."

Shocked he was so angry at her, Lucy quickly left the room and walked out into the hall. _Jeez, I finally start getting somewhere with him and he shuts me down almost immediately_ She thought as all of a sudden, her phone started ringing. She picked it up and answered it after seeing that it was coming from her boss.

"Yes sir?"

"Officer Sparks. How goes cracking down on the Lone Ranger?"

"Sir, I've learned that apparently, his backpack has more info on his life before this, but he shut me down before I could ask any more questions."

"Interesting. If that's the case, then you should go ahead and open it."

Lucy was taken aback by that statement. "S-Sir, you do recall that we cannot violate the privacy of any human, right?"

"That is correct Officer Sparks, however! We also have the right to intrude upon their privacy if they are withholding information from us. And since you got from him that he does have important info in there, there is nothing stopping us"

Lucy was mortified to hear such a thing. She knew it was her job to learn just who Jude was, but this just wasn't right. On top of that, she knew that if Jude caught wind of this, he'd never say a word to her again, and she'd lose her only chance to get to know him better.

"Sir, give me a moment. I want to try and get the permission from him anyway."

"Alright. But just remember, even if he doesn't say yes now, nothing is stopping us from opening up that backpack"

Lucy felt like garbage as she hung up. _I can't just go behind his back like this. I'm finally getting the chance to talk with him, and doing this could ruin my chances of ever getting to do that again_. She gathered her courage to tell Jude what she overheard as she walked back to his room, only to be greeted by an unexpected site.

"What the heck is going on in here!?" She exclaimed as she saw multiple nurses huddled around Jude's bed, seeing him struggle behind their bodies. As she pushed some of them aside she could see that some of them were trying to force a diaper onto him, which he was struggling to stop. "Stop that! At once!" She yelled at them, causing the nurses to divert their attention to her instead.

"What appears to be the problem Officer?" One of the nurses responded as a few continued to try and force it on Jude. His arms were pinned to his sides but he was still violently kicking his legs to try and stop them. "We were doing a check on his vitals and realized he had not used the bathroom since he arrived here, so we were fixing the problem before we had an accident."

"That doesn't mean he agreed to it! Leave him alone!" Lucy cried, as she wedged herself between the nurses and Jude, forcing them back. "Did you not notice he was clearly fighting what you were trying to do to him?"

The nurses looked at one another before one of them spoke up, a Sudowoodo. "With all due respect Officer, we are just doing our job."

"And I am doing mine. It's my job to ensure that the Lone Ranger is not mistreated while he is here. He is to be treated with the same amount of respect as you would give to any other Pokémon. Understand?"

The nurses mumbled to each other before quietly nodding their heads in agreement, as they all left the room, one of them carrying the diaper with them. Lucy looked over at Jude, who had his head down, his eyes on the floor. By the looks of it his face was red with embarrassment, but his eyes were still red with anger as well.

"I am so sorry that you had to deal with that Jude. I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen again." He slowly put his head up, but wasn't looking at her, his face turned to the side. It took Lucy a moment to see that he had tears of frustration in his eyes.

"Are you ok?" She carefully asked, not wanting to agitate him any further. Jude took a moment to collect himself before responding. "I just wanted to be left alone…" He muttered to himself.

 _Oh great. That mess earlier has caused him to close himself off_ She thought before she heard him continue.

"Fuck it. I don't care anymore. You can open my pack. The faster I can get it back, and work on heading back to the wilderness, the faster I can forget about this hellhole."

Lucy felt horrible hearing that statement. She knew he was still keen on going back to nature, but it was clear that this event had only helped to reinforce that mindset on him. But one thing that did help to alleviate the issue, was that he was willing to let her have access to his personal belongings. This was her chance to get to know more about him, and she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

"Thank you for your permission. And if anything like that happens again, please don't hesitate to call me to take care of it." With that she wrote down her cell number on a sticky note and left it next to the phone on the desk next to Jude's bed before heading out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

 _This is it_ Lucy thought as she looked over Jude's backpack. _With this I should finally be able to shed some light on Jude's past_. She was in an empty room with the pack just sitting on an open bed. There were several compartments on the pack, some of which had padlocks on them, but she learned from Jude that the ones without padlocks had the individual keys for each locked one.

Excited to finally have a chance to learn more about him, Lucy opened the first compartment on his pack. "Ah, this must be where he puts his actual camping supplies" she said to herself as she peered inside. She saw an assortment of canned food, a tent for sleeping, a grappling hook, a water bottle, and even found his collection of smoke bombs, box of matches, and bug spray. At the bottom of the compartment was a small key which she pulled out of the pack.

The key had a number 2 on the side of it, matching the number on the compartment directly below the first one. This one was much smaller, only about half the size as the main compartment. She hastily unlocked the zippers and opened up the compartment.

"…What on earth is this?" She said, as she pulled out what was in the compartment. It appeared to be an assortment of small cases. Curious as to what they contained she opened the first one… and almost dropped it.

"Oh my…" Inside of the first cast was an array of Gym Badges. All 8 of the Kanto gym badges to be exact. It only took her a moment to imagine what the other cases would hold before hastily opening up the other ones. As she anticipated, each new case she opened was filled to the brim with gym badges, from all sorts of different regions.

"Holy Arceus…He has more history with Pokémon than I thought." Lucy was not expecting something like this. _If he really went this far on a journey, he must have had a connection with at least a few Pokémon_ she thought before continuing to search through his pack. She found another key on the backside of one of the cases and used it to open up one of the side pockets.

"What other secrets does this backpack hold" She wondered as she pulled out a small DVD case from the side pocket. "A DVD? What could he need this for?" She set that down next to her for later before working on opening up the rest of the pockets.

 _Meanwhile…_

Jude was struggling to stand, both of his legs trembling as he slowly inched towards the bathroom. _Shit, why is it so hard to move_ he thought to himself as he eventually made his way over to the bathroom, exhausted by the amount of stress he put on his legs. _That stupid accident I got into has made doing just about anything physical next to impossible. At least for now._ He sighed as he started to do his business.

 _It might not have been such a good idea letting her look at my stuff, but at this point, I don't care. Once I get the chance I am getting as far away from here as possible._ Jude punched the wall in frustration before working up the energy to stand back up. He flushed before slowing making his way back to bed again, doing his best to not fall over.

 _Though, that might be awhile given my current health_ he begrudgingly realized as he fell back onto the bed. "Uggh, why is the world so cruel?" He asked the empty room as he contemplated what to do next.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lucy had opened just about every compartment of Jude's pack. So far, the biggest shock that had occurred to her was the number of badges in his possession. The other things she had discovered were not as interesting; a DVD, a radio, a pair of sunglasses, and a jar full of…something. Not wanting to dwell on that last item, she looked over the pack to see if she missed anything, and noticed a very small compartment located at the very top of the pack.

 _Hello, what do we have here?_ She wondered as she unzipped it, and reached inside. Feeling something in her paw, she pulled out what she was grabbing to find that it was an old picture frame.

"A picture? Why would he…" Before she finished that question to herself she took a long look at the picture. Once she had a clear view of what was in the frame, she just sat there dumbfounded.

The picture appeared to have been taken at a Pokémon Tournament. Standing in the center of the frame was Jude, wearing the same outfit he had on when she first saw him. His eyes were still red, but they had a much different emotion to them than she saw now. There was a smile on his face and he appeared to be carrying a trophy in his hands. Around him appeared to be an assortment of Pokémon, presumably his team. The group consisted of a Skarmory, an Umbreon, a Crobat, a Scizor, a Lanturn, and a Typhlosion. They all had medals around their necks as they stood beside him, each one beaming with pride.

"He was a seasoned battler? Based on this picture, he was good enough to go professional. But wait, that almost requires having a deep connection between trainer and Pokémon. That's nothing like the Jude that I know…unless…"

Lucy just sat there trying to figure out what was before her. _How can this be? Jude was so close with Pokémon before, why would he be so angry with us now?_ She pondered that thought until a chilling realization sank in.

 _…_ _The Revolution._

 _Meanwhile…_

Jude had turned on the Television to check the news on the world. It had been a few days and he had no idea what had happened since the accident. Currently the channel was set to a news station with a Machamp and a Medicham as the anchors.

"In other news, there have been reports that a human known as The Lone Ranger, has been hospitalized. We have been informed by members of the HAA that he was crushed under a tree after helping put out a forest fire. Hopefully he will soon make a full recovery and be ready for adoption. Apparently he has responded negatively to the idea, but will hopeful-"

Before the anchor could finish that sentence, Jude had shut off the television and slammed the remote on the floor. _FUCK OFF_ He thought to himself, his eyes red with anger at what he just heard. _Don't act like you know what's best for me, it was you assholes that got me into this mess in the first place!_

He snorted in frustration to himself, only to hear a light knock on the door to his room. Sighing, he looked over at the door and said, "Come in."

Lucy slowly made her way into Jude's room, looking wary of him for some reason. He wasn't quite sure what was going on with her, until she walked right up next to his bed and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Jude…We need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

**Greetings. This chapter is essentially the 'Shit Hits the Fan' Chapter. So if you were hoping for things to get more interesting, wish granted.**

 **Chapter 7:**

Jude sighed. He knew this was coming ever since he gave her access to his pack. "What all did you see?" He asked, assessing the damage.

"Well, I saw that you are quite the world traveler. And for someone who seems to hold a grudge against Pokémon, you seemed pretty happy in that picture of yours" Lucy saw Jude's fists clench up as his shoulders tightened. He wouldn't make eye contact with her, and no matter how many times she moved into his line of site he would always look away. She sighed before trying to press him further.

"So…what was that Tournament in the picture? And who were those Pokémon?" She waited for a response as Jude just sat there in silence, his eyes lost in thought. Just as she was about to try and get his attention, he looked up at her, his eyes red, but without the anger she had so often seen in them.

"That Tournament was known as the Delta League. It was essentially a massive test to see what trainers had the potential to go pro. The Pokémon with me…" Jude seemed hesitant to finish that statement, as if it pained him to say the words. Lucy put her paw up on his lap, nodding for him to continue.

"They…were once my closest friends." Jude's eyes were welling up with tears, an emotion Lucy had not expected from him. Just as she was about to ask if he was ok something inside of him just snapped, as he put his face into his hands, crying to himself.

 _Oh Arceus…I think I pushed him too hard_ Lucy thought as she stayed silent, giving him a minute to let it out. She'd anticipated he would get emotional over this, but to see the usually stoic, aggressive Jude reduced to a crying mess was just heartbreaking to watch.

Jude wasn't ready to open up this old wound. _5 months of living out in the wilderness, and I still can't think about this without breaking down, goddammit_. He tried to collect himself, eventually getting the tears to stop as he looked up at Lucy. Her golden eyes were watching him, not with pity, but rather with a look of shared pain.

"Before…The Revolution…Those 6 were the closest I had to a family out on my travels. It was us against the world, from Johto to Alola, and there was nothing that stood in our way. Until…That day…"

Jude stayed silent after not, leaving it up to Lucy to carefully try and press him for more info. "What day? What happened exactly?"

"…You didn't watch the DVD, did you?" He asked her, much to her confusion.

"No, I didn't. Why do you ask?"

"Do me a favor. Bring that DVD up here and play it. I need to watch it again."

"O-Ok." Lucy said as she hurriedly left the room, going back to where she left his pack to retrieve the DVD. _Why is the DVD so important?_ She thought to herself as she entered the room. Quickly she grabbed the DVD and ran back to Jude's room.

"Here you go. Let's turn on the TV and see what this is." Lucy placed the disc into the DVD player and turned the power on, grabbing the remote off the floor and handing it to Jude.

Jude remained silent as he pushed the power button and swapped the input to the DVD Player. After a few moments the display changed, showing what appeared to be a Pokémon Battle.

"Ladies and Gentleman! It is all down to this! The Challenger, Jude, versus the Champion of the Johto Region, Lance! Both sides only have 1 Pokémon left, now let's see who will come out on top!" The Announcer exclaimed, sending the crowd into a frenzy. On the opposite side of the Arena, Lance threw out a pokeball, calling a Charizard to the battlefield. On Jude's side, there stood a Typhlosion behind him.

"Let's go partner. Infernostar, let's heat things up a notch!" Jude in the video cried, as the Typhlosion behind him stepped onto the field, the back of its neck igniting in flame.

From that point onward, it was a clash between the two, each side appearing equal in strength to one another. Strangely however, where Lance called out attacks for his Charizard, Jude would respond by telling Infernostar to perform different maneuvers, none of which even mentioned an actual attack. Despite this, the two were so in sync it was honestly baffling for Lucy to watch. Infernostar matched Lance's Charizard in strength, and even appeared to be gaining the upper hand.

Before the battle was over, the sound of a loud explosion rocked the arena. The crowd started crying out in a panic as the announcer grabbed his microphone. "ATTENTION ALL VIEWERS. The Revolution has reached the Stadium! Please Evacuate Immediately! I repeat, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"

The people in the stadium started fleeing the match in a hurry as Lance recalled his Charizard and ran to a nearby exit. Jude suddenly ran for where the camera was positioned, grabbing it before the recording abruptly ended.

"…"

"…"

Both Lucy and Jude sat unmoving as the screen stayed on static. Neither one said a word, as Lucy slowly looked over at Jude, who was looking down at the floor again, all the emotion gone from his face.

 _So that's what happened_ Lucy thought as she continued to look at Jude. _No wonder he hates The Revolution so much. He was just a few minutes away from becoming Champion, and we took that from him_. She tried to think of something to say to comfort him, but Jude started talking before she could say a word.

"That was the Championship battle for the Johto League. I was so close to becoming Champion…And then THAT happened." Once again, his hands were balled up into fists, his eyes back to being red with rage.

Lucy wanted to say something, but realized it wouldn't help. She just waited for Jude to finish his thought.

"On that day…I lost everything. My reputation as a Pro Battler was worthless. My collection of badges were about as significant as a rock collection. And my team? My TEAM…" Jude pounded the bed with his left hand, his right hand tightening so much the veins on it were showing. "MY…TEAM…"

"The day that FUCKING Revolution started, I made a pact with my team. We all agreed that if it ended in our defeat, we would sever all connection between us, and I would live my life in solitude. SO, the day the Match was interrupted was also the LAST day I would ever see them again. They helped me pack for the woods, I released them all, and I left."

Lucy was mortified to hear such a thing from him. The Revolution, which was originally intended to help stop those who wanted to use Pokémon for evil, wound up ruining Jude's life. She couldn't believe her ears and just sat there, her mouth hanging open in shock.

Jude turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a new emotion. Not anger, not sadness, but a look of disappointment. He looked so done with everything that he couldn't be bothered to muster up the energy to get mad. "Now you see why I hate this new world. And why I have no intention of ever assimilating into it."

Lucy wanted to say something. She wanted to say ANYTHING, but the words just wouldn't come to her. She saw Jude sigh before looking away from her. "Get out of my sight. I don't want to have to think about this any further. And no more question about that day, or else."

As much as she wanted to help, Lucy knew that now was not the time to try and do so. She closed her mouth, slowly stood up, and made her way out of the room. Upon closing the room she heard a loud crash from inside, and rushed back to see Jude had thrown the Remote into the Television screen, destroying it.

"I SAID LEAVE" He yelled at her, causing her to bolt out of the room in a panic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

A week had passed since Jude and Lucy had watched the DVD. Since then Jude was almost completely silent. He would hardly utter a word to her, and if he felt she was trying to get him to say something about himself, he'd shoot her down and kick her out almost immediately.

The other Officers didn't fare much better. A lot of them tried to be more forceful in their approach, causing him to shoot them down much faster, in some cases not even letting them set foot in the room.

At the moment, Lucy was on the ground floor of the hospital, on the phone with her boss, as the two were trying to figure out something to go off of for him.

"Sir, I just don't know where to go with him. He won't say a word about his past anymore, and nothing I try works."

"Well, let's try another route. If The Lone Ranger won't speak to you about his past, maybe try and learn about the Team you said he had. If we are lucky we might be able to track them down and learn about him through them."

"Alright, I'll try. But at the same time…I just don't know sir. I don't think he'll ever be ready for adoption. He just won't accept the idea of the world the way it is now, and nothing I've done has helped to improve his view."

"I see what you mean Officer Sparks. We shouldn't be so aggressive about having him put up for adoption, since our job is to make sure every human we find is happy. But at the same time, if we could just convince him to give it a chance, we might be able to change his mindset. I'm leaving it up to you Sparks."

"Yes sir. I'll try my best" With that Lucy hung up and sighed to herself. _What am I going to do? He's been so quiet as of late, I'm afraid I'll never get the chance to learn about his team_.

She ran over the options in her head. _On one hand, we need to know more about him. But on the other, he clearly won't make it easy to learn about his past._ Lucy sat down to think, trying to rationalize what would be the best course of action.

 _Meanwhile…_

Starting today, Jude was set to start physical therapy to help him get his strength back. Currently he was a small gym room laying down on a mat. He had specifically requested that they do yoga to help strengthen his back. His instructor, a Medicham, was lying on a mat beside him.

"Alright, let's begin. Reach back with your hands and try to raise your back off the ground." The Medicham demonstrated before letting him try for himself. Jude was able to place his hands back no problem, but when he tried to lift his body, he struggled to even get off the ground. After a few attempts, he was barely able to lift off the ground, but only for a brief period of time. His strength quickly left him as he set himself back down, already panting from exhaustion.

 _Shit. At this rate, it is going to take forever to get back to my former strength_ he realized as the physical therapy continued. Eventually the session ended, finishing with the Corpse pose. Jude was using this opportunity to formulate an escape plan for when he would be able to leave. _Since I have my pack back, I can easily use my smoke bombs in case they try to stop me. Alternatively, if I can get my strength up enough I might be able to rappel out the window._ He was able to think further when he was tapped on his shoulder by one of the nurses, telling him that it was time to head back.

Jude slowly lifted himself up off the ground, the nurse helping him to stand. His legs still trembled slightly so the nurse stayed close to him as he slowly made his way back to his room.

When he managed to get back inside he was unnerved to see that some of the nurses were there, circled around his bed. _Oh God, here we go again_ he thought as he quietly inched towards the phone, grabbed it, and quickly dialed a number before the nurses realized he was standing there.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lucy was on her way back up to Jude's room to try and talk with him again when her phone went off. She pulled it out and took a moment to see who was calling, only for her to realize it was Jude. Realizing what that meant, she took off up the stairs and ran as fast as she could down the hall to his room.

Lucy burst into Jude's room just in time. She saw a few of the nurses around his bed, one of them attempting to force a pacifier into his mouth while the others held him down. He looked almost drained of energy as he desperately tried to move his head out of the way.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" Lucy yelled, causing the nurses attention to snap to her. Jude breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that, as the nurses stood there, trying to explain what they were doing. The one holding the pacifier, an Ursaring, responded with "He was using vulgar language to address us, and we felt this was a necessary way to get him to stop."

Lucy did not believe that statement and looked over at Jude. "What did they do to you?" She asked him, making sure not to accidentally address him by his real name. He looked over at her before giving his own response. "They ambushed me here when I came back from physical therapy. Said something about me needing 'practice' for adoption and tried to force it into my mouth."

"Oh, and I am SURE that your bosses wouldn't mind hearing that you attempted to force a child to do something against their will, right?" Lucy said to the nurses, causing them to start sweating bullets. "Get out of here, and don't come back until you have learned your lesson." With that she moved out of the doorway as the nurses hastily left, the Ursaring dropping the pacifier in the process.

Jude was able to relax after that, still panting from physical therapy. He wiped some sweat from his forehead as he saw Lucy sigh.

"Why do they keep trying to force that stuff onto you?" She asked Jude. This was not the first, and unfortunately it probably wouldn't be the last time this would happen. The nurses in the hospital seemed to think that Jude needed an attitude adjustment, and repeatedly tried to use that to justify babying him. Each time he was either lucky enough to have Lucy show up before things went too far, or was fast enough to call her before they attacked him.

"They just won't let up" He responded, finally catching his breath. "And I swear it happened this time because they knew I would be tired out from physical therapy. Unfortunately, they were right, I could hardly move once they pinned me down." Jude was tired of having to deal with their antics, but knew it wouldn't let up until he was finally out of this forsaken place.

Lucy considered asking him about his former teammates, but wasn't sure now was a right time to do it. He had just had a pretty irritating ordeal that he was lucky to get out of unfazed, and probably just wanted to rest. But at the same time, she needed this information, preferably sooner rather than later. Gathering her courage, she decided she would press him now.

"Jude, there is something that I was hoping to talk to you about."

"If it's about my life again forget it. I'm worn out from the earlier fiasco, and honestly would rather just try to sleep it off." He retorted, folding his arms in disgust upon remembering what had just happened.

"No, it's not about that. I wanted to know about your team" she responded, a confused expression appearing on his face.

"…You mean?"

"You know what I mean. I want to know more about the Pokémon you were so close to, before the Revolution. What were they like? How did you meet them?"

Jude stayed silent after that. From what Lucy could guess he was mulling over her question. She hoped he wouldn't just shut down and send her away; she wanted to know what his old team were like.

"…I'm not comfortable talking about them all at once. If you really are interested, I'll tell you about them, but one by one. Understand?"

Lucy was glad to see that he was willing to talk about it. Smiling, she nodded her head in agreement as Jude took a moment to collect himself.

"…The first of them that I will talk about, is Infernostar, the Typhlosion. My oldest friend, and the closest thing I had to a brother."

 **Howdy. Thanks for reading this far. Sorry that this chapter ended on such a cliffhanger, but I have a lot of ideas for the next one that will hopefully satisfy you once it arrives.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"Let's start from the beginning. 5 years ago, I departed on my own journey as a trainer. As you probably guessed, I lived in the Johto Region, and as a result I was given a choice between a Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile as a partner to start off. For some reason, I was drawn to the Cyndaquil, and lo and behold he was the first Pokémon I would acquire. I called him Infernostar, because I felt that he had a lot of untapped potential, and I wanted to help him discover it"

"As time passed and I traveled across Johto, I would often be stuck deciding what Pokémon I would want to have with me. But every time, Infernostar stayed beside me, eventually becoming a Typhlosion. He was always with me, regardless of the situation. I could be engaging in a heated battle or just in need of someone to talk to, and he would always be there for me. Infernostar was always reliable, and as a result I wanted to be there for him just as much, if not more."

"So, as a sign of respect for him, and as a way to test our connection, I tried something. One day I called him out of his pokeball, and asked him how much the two of us understood one another. His response was that we both were willing to do just about anything to help the other. When I heard that from him, I felt that meant something to me, and I wanted to show him just how much I trusted him. And with that, I destroyed his pokeball, and asked him not to stay with me as my Pokémon, but as my friend."

"From that point onward, we had a mutual understanding between us. I no longer considered him my Pokémon, instead viewing Infernostar as my closest friend. Yes, I did still call upon him for help with battles, but we both understood that it was not out of disrespect. I considered him the Ace of my team, someone I could always count on to win, regardless of his opponent."

With that, Jude concluded his thought, and just sat there in silence, as Lucy tried to process what he said. _Wow, they were that close?_ She thought as she just stared at him. Jude seemed tired, but at the same time, strangely, happy. _Maybe getting to think about the good things from his past lightened his mood_.

"Thank you for telling me about him. Infernostar seemed like someone very important to you, so I am glad you were willing to talk about him." Lucy smiled at Jude, who seemed more relaxed after hearing that.

"Don't mention it. I'm feeling a bit worn out from today, so no more stories at least until tomorrow, got it?"

"Sure. I'll see you then." With that Lucy walked out of the room. _This is my big chance_ she thought as she made her way towards the exit. _If I can keep this up I can get him to completely open up to me_.

After saying goodbye to the nurses on the ground floor Lucy walked out, heading in the general direction of her home. It wasn't anything special, just an average 1 story house she was lucky to snag after the War ended.

 _I hope he will be ok tonight_ she thought as she reached her door and stepped inside.

 _Meanwhile…_

Jude had just got done taking a cold shower. He hadn't had been able to properly bath since he left for the wilderness, and was told by the nurses he _desperately_ needed it. One of them was helping put a new layer of bandages on his upper body as he dried his hair off with a towel. _Well, at least it feels good to shower after all this time_ he thought as he finished drying himself off. He was given a fresh pair of pajama pants from the nurse to sleep in, which he hastily put on.

He slowly made his way back over to bed, carefully setting himself down. _It's gonna be awhile before I have my strength back_ he sighed as he laid down. He wasn't about to go to sleep just yet, as he didn't trust the nurses in the building would leave him alone. Sleeping with one eye open was starting to become a habit of his to avoid them.

 _I better not see them try anything again tonight_ he thought as he just lied there, his eyes staring up at the ceiling…

 _Several Hours Later…_

It was around 3 o'clock in the morning. Jude had only just fallen asleep, and was snoring rather loudly. Periodically he would shake wildly, presumably from a nightmare of some kind. This continued until three figures entered the room.

"Finally, he's asleep. I think I dropped it somewhere around here…" One of them said.

"I got it" Another responded, picking up the pacifier on the ground. Standing over Jude's bed were three of the nurses from earlier; the Ursaring who had the pacifier, a Sudowoodo, and a Tyranitar.

"He's gonna wake the other patients if he continues to snore so loudly. What do you say we help him calm down?" The Tyranitar asked the others. They all nodded their heads in agreement as they approached him.

Jude turned his head to the side in his sleep, still snoring. His mouth was open and he appeared to be drooling onto the bed. Seizing this opportunity, the Ursaring cleaned off the pacifier on her uniform before plopping it into his open mouth.

At first it looked like he was about to spit it out and wake up, causing the nurses to take a few steps back. His body tensed up, and the nurses braced for the worst, but it didn't come. He seemed to relax as he started to suck on it, causing the nurses to giggle.

"Aww, looks like mister tough guy finally calmed down!" One of them said as the nurses cooed at his unconscious body. They laughed at the display as they left the room, leaving Jude to discover what had happened when he wakes up.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Lucy yawned as she walked down the road to Blackthorn Hospital. She had slept pretty well last night, and was excited to see Jude again today. Currently it was her day off from work, but she didn't mind, she just wanted to learn more about him.

Instead of her HAA uniform, she had on a dark green shirt with denim jeans. She smiled as the hospital came into view. _I wonder what Jude is up to_ she thought to as she made her way inside.

Soon she arrived outside of Jude's room. _Odd, its strangely quiet_ she thought as she opened the door. She was about to say good morning to him when the sight in front of her caused her dead in her tracks.

 _Oh no, they didn't_ she thought as she stared at Jude. He was still asleep, with the pacifier from yesterday in his mouth. She was about to go up and remove it from him when a thought struck her. _If he wakes up when I try to do that, he might mistake it as me doing it_ she realized. As she tried to figure out what to do next, Jude stirred in his sleep.

Jude shifted his back up against the bedframe and groggily opened his eyes. He could see Lucy standing there, and opened his mouth to say good morning, when something fell into his lap. A confused expression came onto his face as he looked down, his eyes going wide when he realized what was in his lap.

"…Lucy. I imagine this isn't your doing, but do me a favor. Go stand out in the hallway for a moment." Lucy didn't even try to respond, simply backing out through the door, and closing it.

"Those nurses just won't stop" she muttered to herself. "I hope he is alright in there" she said before hearing another loud crash from his room. _Oh no, now what has he done?_ She thought as she opened the door again.

Jude was standing over by the window, which he appeared to have broken. His left hand was bleeding, his right hand was holding the pacifier, and he was panting heavily. She was about to approach him when he suddenly turned and faced her, his eyes red, this time giving off a feeling of wrath.

"Do me…a favor. Tell those nurses…that if they try something like that again…I will make them SUFFER." With that he lobbed the pacifier out the broken window, pounding his right hand against the wall.

Lucy slowly backed out of the room, wanting to give him some time alone. She sat down in a nearby chair before huffing in frustration.

 _Those idiot nurses_ she thought. _He's already against the idea of being adopted and having this happen to him, so what makes you think forcing it upon him in his sleep is a good idea?!_ Lucy clenched her paws as she thought about that, only getting more frustrated at what they had done.

Jude sat back down in the hospital bed, his left hand over his bare chest so the blood wouldn't get on the sheets. _Those FUCKING nurses. They know I hate when they pull this shit, yet the just, WONT, STOP._ Jude wanted to scream, but he knew that wouldn't make the situation better. He attempted to ball his hands into a fist, then immediately regretted doing that as pain shot through his left hand.

"YOW!" He yelled as he clutched his arm with his right hand. _Why the fuck did I think that was a good idea?!_ He mentally slapped himself as Lucy came back into the room, carrying a roll of hospital bandages in one of her paws.

"Let's take care of that injury before you hurt yourself again, alright?" She said as she started to treat his injury. She gently wrapped his left hand in the bandages, taking care to cover the cuts on his knuckles while still giving his fingers room.

Jude sat there stunned. _She's a lot more skilled at this sort of thing than I expected_ he thought as he watched her work. _Sorta reminds me of how I dealt with minor cuts out in the Wilderness._

"There, all done." Lucy said as she finished wrapping up Jude's hand. He took a moment to observe her work, and was impressed. _How much experience does she have at doing this?_ He wondered as she got up and walked to the other side.

"I have an idea. Instead of staying here where this could happen again, let's go out to lunch. Just the two of us." She poked her head out into the hallway and called for a wheelchair.

"…Ummmm." Jude wasn't sure what she was planning, and didn't quite know how to feel about it. On one hand, it would be great to get out of this place for a while, but on the other, it terrified him thinking about being out in public. He was about to speak up when Lucy looked back at him.

"I can imagine you are scared about going out in your condition, but I want you to trust me. I can go get your clothes for you to change into and we can head out for awhile." Before Jude could argue with her Lucy had already stepped out. _I know he may not want to, but he needs some fresh air to help clear his head_ she thought as she we to get his clothes.

"…I guess we are going out today." Jude didn't know what he should do. He could almost guarantee that if they went out the other Pokémon would try to baby him, and he wasn't going to let that happen again. _I'm just gonna have to be on guard I guess_ he thought to himself.

After a few minutes of preparations, the two of them were heading down the hall for the elevator. Jude was back in his normal clothing, sitting in a wheelchair, with Lucy pushing it behind him. He tried to tell her that he could walk but she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Soon they were outside of the hospital, heading down the streets of Blackthorn City. Jude was feeling extremely uncomfortable in his current position. _Everyone is staring_ he thought as he tried to keep his attention straight ahead. Around him he could clearly see other Pokémon walking, some of which were with humans, all of which were dressed like infants.

Jude just kept his head down and tried not to draw much attention to himself. Despite that some of the Pokémon that they passed still tried to talk to Lucy about Jude, a few of them cooing at him.

Lucy tried to ignore the Pokémon she passed. She leaned down and whispered to Jude "Sorry, I didn't think there would be this much attention out here. But don't worry, once we get to our destination it should let up." He very slightly nodded his head as they continued onward, soon stopping outside of a diner.

"Here we are. This is one of my favorite spots to eat at, _The Jazz Valley."_ Jude snorted at the name, as Lucy expected. "Oh hush, its actually pretty good. Hopefully you'll agree with me" she said as she opened the door and pushed Jude inside.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

 _Oh, wow_ Jude thought as Lucy pushed him inside. For a place called _The Jazz Valley,_ it was surprisingly cool. The interior was designed to look like, well an actual valley. The floor was covered in a layer of artificial grass, there was a landscape backdrop painted on each of the walls, and a wall of fans to simulate a breeze throughout the place.

Jude whistled at the site, causing Lucy to giggle. "I told you. This is one of my favorite places in the city." She pushed his wheelchair inside and walked up to the host, a Gallade. "Table for 2, please" she said, as the host motioned for them to follow behind him.

As they passed by some of the other Pokémon there, Jude couldn't help but be impressed. Maybe it was just the fact that he had been stuck in the hospital for several days, but this place seemed genuinely cool. There was even an actual jazz band playing music in the corner.

They stopped at a table near the window when Lucy whispered something into the hosts ear. Jude couldn't quite make out what she was saying when the host turned and left as Lucy took her seat opposite of Jude.

"So, what do you think?" she said as the host came back, putting down two menus for them. Jude was still trying to figure out exactly she had asked for, when he realized they were both adult menus. He looked up to see her wink at him, causing him to smile.

"I didn't want you to worry about being babied, so I took steps to make sure it wouldn't happen." She said. He quietly said thanks as he looked over the menu. It wasn't anything particularly special, just an average list of options for a diner.

Soon a waiter came by to take their orders. Lucy ordered the soup while Jude asked for the steak. The waiter took their menus and was about to leave when Lucy stopped him and whispered something into his ear. Jude took a wild guess that it was about how he would be treated as the waiter stood up and left.

"You didn't answer my question" Lucy said, snapping his attention back to her.

"Honestly, its pretty cool. I can't recall seeing anywhere like this before the Revolution."

"It's a recent addition. I go here every few weeks, I just can't get enough of it. Probably because I like the calm atmosphere so much. It's just so peaceful in here."

Jude had to agree with her on that front, the place was pretty chill. He was about to say something when he was suddenly cut off by a rather loud family that had just been seated beside them. It seemed to consist of a Meowstic mother, a Golurk father, a human son. Much to Jude's dismay the son was dressed just like an infant, in a blue onesie, and was sucking on a pacifier.

Lucy noticed the color drain from Jude's face as the family sat down next to him. She considered asking the waiter if they could move to another table when all of a sudden, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to see it was the Meowstic mother, who seemed to want to talk to her.

"Pardon me, but I couldn't help but notice your adorable son!" Lucy reeled in response to that statement, as Jude put his head down in shame. She stuttered to think of a response as the Meowstic continued.

"He just looks so cute in that outfit! Trying to look so mature with his grownup clothes, its adorable!" The Meowstic continued to coo at Jude as Lucy suddenly got up to find their waiter, stopping next to Jude to whisper into his ear.

"I am so sorry to leave you like this, but I'm gonna find our waiter so we can move to another table. Just play the 'mute' card and hopefully she will stop." She left before he could say something to stop her, catching himself before he muttered a word.

 _Shit, what have I gotten myself into?_ Jude thought as he tried to avoid eye contact with the Meowstic. He contemplated heading to the bathroom to stall for time when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He put his hand on his forehead and groaned as he started hearing another voice in his head.

 _What's the matter little one? Cat got your tongue?_ Jude took a moment to realize that it was the Meowstic telepathically communicating with him. He tried to keep his mind blank so she would stop but she just kept going.

 _You look good in that outfit. Did you have an accident recently? You know, I think you would look better in a onesie, like my son._ Jude was considering telling her to go fuck herself when one more thought came into his head from her.

 _Your mother must be so proud of you_. When that thought entered his head, he dropped the glass he was holding, which hit the floor and shattered.

Lucy heard the glass shatter just as she had found their waiter. She turned around and saw Jude sitting motionless in the wheelchair, his eyes red with an emotion she could only imagine was around _Pissed Off_.

"Oh no, not again." She said, as she grabbed the waiter and rushed back to stop Jude before things got worse. She took a moment to shake him out of it, his eyes losing the anger within him as she leaned down and whispered to him. "We're moving to another table. I'm sorry that I left you alone with them." She grabbed the wheelchair and moved him away from there, as the Meowstic next to them waved goodbye.

As they settled down at the new table Lucy asked Jude what had happened while she was gone. One of his eyes was twitching as he stared at the floor, his eyes still red. "She wouldn't stop pestering me. I was about to leave for the bathroom when she…got inside my head…" His eyes lost the emotion they had earlier, as if he couldn't concentrate on anything.

 _Jeez, and here I thought this would help him relax_ she thought as she just watched him. Soon their food arrived, which helped to get him out of his slump. The two of them dug in and thankfully, he seemed to enjoy it. _Well, at least he likes it_ she thought as she watched.

After awhile the two of them had polished off their lunch, both of them looking quite satisfied. _That was great_ Jude thought as he wiped his face off. _Definitely better than the crappy hospital food I've been stuck with for so long_. Though as much as he enjoyed it, he couldn't shake that thought out of his head.

 _Why can't I stop thinking about that_ he thought as Lucy just stared at him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked as Jude just stared off into space. _What did she say to him that shook him up this much?_ As she tried to figure out what he was thinking about the waiter came by with the check.

"Jude." She said, a bit more firmly this time, snapping in front of his face to get his attention. His eyes refocused on her as he took a moment to collect himself.

"Sorry, it's just…when that Meowstic started talking inside of my head, she said something that I just can't shake off." He put his left hand on his forehead, running his fingers through his hair. "It was the last thing she told me before you came back. She said…"

"What did she say?"

"…Your mother must be so proud of you." With that he put his other hand on his head as he groaned, rubbing his temples with his thumbs.

Lucy sat there in disbelief. _Did she really say that to him? I know she mistook us as Mother and Son earlier, but that is just too far. How did she not pick up that he didn't want to talk to her?_ As she was about to continue that thought the waiter came back to collect the check, and another thought crossed her mind as he left.

 _…_ _Where even are Jude's parents?_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

A few weeks had passed since then. As Jude's physical therapy continued, he slowly but surely got his strength and flexibility back. The nurses attempts to baby him dwindled considerably once he got stronger, especially after he made an example of what happens when they mess with him by smashing another window.

Lucy had learned a lot about Jude's old Team since then. Seemed he had a more interesting encounter with each one that she had originally anticipated. His Skarmory, Cordelia, used to be a major problem in Blackthorn City until he caught and reformed in. His Scizor, Baron, was once the leader of a colony of Scythers that terrorized the National Park until he put a stop to them. His Lanturn, Current, he encountered after it washed up onto shore and nursed it back to health. His Umbreon, Artemis, he found out on the streets one night, and took it in so it wouldn't be alone. And his Crobat, Alucard, was the biggest pest of in his journey, constantly following him after he went in a Dark Cave, eventually getting to the point where he added it to his team so it would stop ambushing him.

Currently she was at the HAA station, talking with her boss about how his recovery was going. "He's doing very well" She said to Stark. "The doctors say that he should be all clear to leave the hospital by tomorrow, so long as nothing serious happens."

"That's excellent news Officer Sparks." Stark responded. "Thanks to your efforts we also are just one detail shy of having the information needed to put him up for adoption."

"Yeah, about that…wait, what detail are we missing?" She asked in confusion. She had told them just about every detail about Jude, and didn't expect to have missed something.

"His name, Officer Sparks. We can't list The Lone Ranger for adoption without his legal name"

"Oh…right." She'd completely forgotten about her promise to Jude. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the name, otherwise he'd stay quiet. _I'm gonna have to get him to let me tell Stark_ she thought.

 _Meanwhile…_

Jude was on the floor of his room, doing some one-handed pushups. He finally had the energy to start working out on his own, and wanted to prepare himself for when he would return to the woods. "55, 56, 57, 58…" He kept counting as he continued pushing himself. Sweat was flowing down his forehead, but he refused to stop until he broke 100 for the day.

"97, 98, 99, 100." With that his arms buckled and he laid down on the floor, using this opportunity to catch his breath. "Good...That was…About as much…As I could do…Before the accident." He stayed on the ground for awhile, waiting until he stopped gasping for air until he stood back up.

Jude wiped the sweat off of his forehead and stretched his arms. He was happy to see that he was finally back to how he was before the accident, at least physically. He walked back over to his bed and slipped his red jacket back on over his white shirt. Since he was pretty much fine health wise he was given permission to wear his old clothes, albeit after they had been thoroughly washed. Just as he finished putting his jacket back on, he saw Lucy walk in.

"Afternoon Jude." She said as she entered his room. She knew that it was going to be tough to get him to let her use his name, but she needed to give it to her boss.

"Afternoon" Jude noticed that Lucy seemed hesitant to approach him for once. He raised an eyebrow at he as he sat down on the hospital bed.

"Jude, there is something I need to talk to you about." She said as she sat down beside him, her golden eyes looking over him. He seemed concerned about what she was thinking, and was about to open his mouth when she continued. "It's about your personal information."

"Oh boy, here we go again." He sighed as he fell back onto the bed. "I've told you just about everything there is about me that I am willing to share, what more do you want?"

"It's not what I want, it's what my Boss wants. Apparently the HAA is one detail shy about your personal information, and they want me to get it from you."

Jude just stared up at the ceiling. Lucy turned over to him and was about to tell him what it was when he suddenly responded. "It's my name, isn't it?"

"Yes. They say they can't fill out the adoption forms without your name. I wanted to stop them and try and tell them not to but they cut me off."

Jude continued staring up at the ceiling, not saying a word. His eyes were red, but Lucy couldn't make out the emotion that was in them. The two of them just sat there in silence, as she tried to think of something to say.

Jude was expecting this question to come up sooner or later. He had intentionally been avoiding it every other time she asked, since he had no intention of being adopted. He was going to find another excuse to use when a thought crossed his mind. _Adoption_. His face drained of color when he started thinking about it. He was perfectly healthy now, he had no family to his name, and they knew just about everything about him. As the thought sank deeper into his head, his eyes widened as reality set in.

"…They won't let me go back to the Wilderness." Jude said as he broke the silence. Lucy saw that Jude's eyes had tears in them, but there wasn't any emotion in them.

"…I don't think so. I'm sorry." She braced herself for Jude to tell her to leave, or for him to smash something, but it didn't come. Lucy looked over and saw that he was silent crying, still staring at the ceiling. _He seems so…out of it. Where's the anger? The passion?_

Jude was mentally broken with that news. He hadn't told Lucy about this, but he had been paying a lot of attention to the area around the hospital in regard to what he could do to escape, but none of his ideas would work. He could rappel out the window with his grappling hook, but that would make it extremely easy to see what he was doing and he could suffer further injury if things went wrong. He could use his makeshift flamethrower to start a fire and use that as a diversion, but he had no intention of making himself a criminal. He even contemplated using the laundry chute for a quick escape to the ground floor, but he wouldn't be able to take his backpack.

And that was the other problem. There was no way in hell he would be able to replace the supplies in his pack, even if he did get the chance to escape. He'd need an almost complete restock for both food and survival gear, and if he tried to buy that stuff in this city he'd be stopped in a heartbeat. _I'm trapped_ he thought as he just stared at the ceiling in disbelief, tears slowly falling down his face.

Lucy wanted to try and say something to comfort Jude, but couldn't find the words. She just watched in silence as she tried to think of a way to alleviate his fear. _What should I do? His sole priority has been going back to Nature, and I just told him that was basically an impossibility_.

"…Jude."

Lucy's attention snapped back to Jude. "Excuse me?"

"Jude McCoy. That's my name."

Lucy took a second to realize what he was talking about before it hit her. "Wait a minute, are you…?"

"You heard me. My name is Jude McCoy."

 _Oh Arceus, he's actually serious_. Lucy thought as she sat there in disbelief. _I've never seen him like this._

The two of them just stayed there for a while, unmoving. Eventually Lucy stood up and slowly made her way out of the room, stopping to look back at Jude. He hadn't budged an inch, and tears were still flowing from his eyes down into the bed.

"…I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she stepped out into the hall and started walking to the elevator.

 _A Few Hours Later…_

"Alright, all the paperwork seems to finally be accounted for." Lucy's Boss said as he organized the file. "Excellent work Officer Sparks."

"…Thank you, sir." Lucy responded, as she kept her head down.

"What seems to be the problem, Sparks?" Her boss asked, one of his claws on his face with concern.

"Sorry sir. It's just…I don't think he will ever come around to the adoption idea. When I broke the news to him earlier today, something inside of him just…snapped. It was like he lost all the emotion I had seen in him. He just looked drained."

"Hmmmmm, well I am sorry to hear that. I don't know what all we can do to try and convince him if even you couldn't. I guess we will just have to hope for the best."

As her boss turned to leave, one thought crossed Lucy's mind. She walked in front of Stark and stopped him.

"Sir, I may have one idea…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

It was the day after Jude had given Lucy permission to tell her boss his real name. Since then he had been completely void of emotion. He wouldn't talk to anyone, his facial expression wouldn't change, and he wouldn't leave his bed. Even the nurses trying to baby him to get a reaction did nothing; he'd fight back and repel them with little effort, but it wouldn't get a response from him.

Lucy was coming in with one of the agents for the HAA to see Jude. The agent was a Breloom, wearing a white-collar shirt and black dress pants. It was his job to interview potential adopters for Jude, and he was coming in to inform him of some of his clients.

 _This isn't going to end well_ Lucy thought as they walked down the hall to Jude's room. She had heard from the nurses about his lack of emotion, and knew this wouldn't do anything to make it better. _How can I get him to talk to me?_

They soon arrived at his door, which Lucy opened for the two of them. She saw Jude laying face down on his bed, hardly moving. The Breloom went over and tapped his shoulder, causing Jude to look up and stare at the Breloom, his face blank.

"Greetings. My name is Austin Spore. I am your agent from the Human Adoption Agency, and I am here to go over some of your potential parents with you." He said to Jude as he pulled out a clipboard with a few forms on them.

Jude just laid there in silence, staring at him. Lucy was standing in the doorway, trying to think of a way to snap him out of it, but she couldn't think of anything. The Breloom didn't seem to notice Jude's lack of emotion and just kept going.

"Right, so, onto business. I have a few different clients for you to look over. I want you to take a look at each and tell me if any of them stand out to you, for better or worse." With that he removed 5 forms from the clipboard and put them next to Jude.

Despite clearly looking completely out of it, Jude lifted himself up and took a look at each of the forms placed in front of him. There was a number of descriptions on each of the documents, all of which detailed the aspects of each family and why they were qualified to adopt him. He just sat there and stared at each of them, occasionally grabbing one of them and flipping it onto the backside.

Lucy silently excused herself as she stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her. _Shoot, it's just as I thought. The aggression I am so used to seeing from him is completely gone, with just a void of emotion in its place._ She wanted Jude to be happy, and knew he wouldn't be if he was adopted by one of the families on those forms.

"What am I going to do?" She asked herself. _He won't take a chance with any of those families_. _He'll probably take the earliest opportunity to bolt, and if that happens we'll just be back to square one. Or worse…_ She tried not to think about what else he might do, and instead pulled out a piece of paper she was carrying. _I hope this will help_.

Jude just stared at the forms in silence. _None of these options are good_ he thought as he sat there. He predicted that they were already aware of his violent tendencies, and quickly discovered a section in the forms dedicated to how they would respond to misbehavior. Literally all the options shared the same response for that section, aggressive babying. He felt like he was going to be sick as he turned away from the forms, only for his agent to walk in front of him.

"You have to choose one of them. If you don't then I will decide for you." Jude didn't want to pick any of them if that was what they all shared. He didn't respond to his agent as he sat there, a single tear falling from his eye.

"Well, if you won't choose, then it is my job to take care of this for you." The Breloom responded, as he turned the forms around for him to examine. That statement lingered in Jude's head, as his hands curled up into fists. _No one has the right to decide my life for me_. The emotion started to come back to his face, as Jude gritted his teeth, his eyes red with a newfound anger.

"Ah, here we go. This one seems to be the best option" The Breloom said as he held up one of the forms. "A wealthy couple, very outgoing, and very big on family values. Any questi-' The Breloom stopped himself short as he looked up at Jude, who was staring back at him, his eyes burning with a rage unlike anything before. "…Uh, Jude?"

"Wait!" Lucy said as she suddenly came back into the room. She saw Jude's face, and while she was somewhat glad to see there was emotion back in his eyes, she knew she needed to calm him down, and fast. "Mr. Spore, you missed one." She said as she handed up another form.

"I did? Odd, I could have sworn there were only five. Well, he doesn't seem to care whi"

"Let him see for himself." She responded firmly, standing her ground. The Breloom was caught off guard with her sudden response, before he recollected himself.

" _Ahem_ , all right. I suppose looking over one more wouldn't hurt." He said as he laid down the form in front of Jude.

 _I appreciate your concern Lucy, but this situation is hopeless_ Jude thought as he looked down at the new form. _Wait a minute…_ It took him a second to recognize it, but he realized that the form in front of him was detailing Lucy. He double-taked when he realized that, and turned his head to Lucy, who winked at him.

As much as he wanted to drop everything and hug Lucy for doing this, he needed to check something to make sure. He flipped the form over and checked the backside, looking at the section devoted to responding to misbehavior. To his relief, instead of seeing the same response as the last five forms, the info marked down said "A stern talking, or giving some time alone to relax."

"This one, without question" He said, finally breaking his silence. The Breloom looked over at him in shock, as Lucy smiled. _I can't let him just go back to nature, but I can at least make sure he isn't stuck with a family that will mistreat him_. Jude handed the form to the Breloom, who took a moment to look it over before looking over at Lucy.

"…Officer Sparks? Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Why else would I have filled out the form?"

"O-Of course. Well if this is all set I can take care of the paperwork and you two can leave this afternoon. Excuse me."

With that the Breloom had Jude sign the form, collected all the other ones, and hurriedly made his way out of the room. Jude looked over at Lucy.

"You know, you didn't have to do this for me."

"You're right. But I knew you would never be happy being stuck with any of those other families." Lucy was about to continue when Jude suddenly got up and walked over to her.

"Thank you." He said, as he suddenly embraced her, tears falling down his face.

Lucy was stunned at Jude's surprise display of affection, but after a moment soon returned it, as the two stood there in embrace.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sweet Lord, 1,000 views!? How?! I have had a great time writing this story, but I didn't think that so many people would take the time to stop and read it. So, to everyone who got this far, I have to say, Thank You. Enjoy the Chapter.**

 **Chapter 14:**

Soon it was done, with Mr. Spore filling out the necessary paperwork for Lucy to adopt Jude. Jude had requested that his last name would not be changed, and Lucy supported that, saying she considered herself his legal guardian rather than his parent. Mr. Spore didn't seem to agree with their sentiments, but all it took was Jude smashing another window to convince him otherwise.

The two of them were walking down the hall towards the exit, with Jude wearing his backpack. Lucy told him that she could carry it, but he refused. Though she was worried he would just try to make an early exit, he quickly calmed her worries by saying that wasn't part of his plan.

"Even if I wanted to bolt, I don't have the supplies to support myself out in the Wilderness. And I don't see any way I can easily get said supplies without raising concern." He said, adjusting his pack so it was supported by his thighs and not his back. "Besides, I'll take this over the other options I was given any day."

Lucy was relieved to hear that from him. Soon the two of them made it to the entrance of the Hospital, where some of the nurses were waiting for them. They said their goodbyes to Jude, though a few of them still cooed at him. She was about to say something when he pulled out a match and lit it, causing her to reel in response.

"Put it down. I don't want you to cause a fire on your first day out." She said firmly to him. Jude looked at her with a half grin on his face.

"Eh, it was worth a shot." He said, quickly dowsing the match. The nurses took a few steps back out of fear as they made their way outside. "Though it was gonna shut them up regardless of what I did, thankfully."

"As much of a nuisance those nurses can be, that doesn't warrant using fire to get them to stop" Lucy said, a bit of firmness in her voice. Jude chuckled in response to that.

"Man, it hasn't even been a day and you already fit the role of a nagging parent." Jude said, causing Lucy to almost trip. He started laughing as she caught herself and stood back up.

"Oh, shut up!" She said, holding back a laugh herself. It was nice to see Jude in a good mood for once, despite it being at her expense. _I'm just glad he isn't too freaked out about the whole thing_ she thought as they continued down the road.

The two soon arrived at Lucy's house. Jude took a moment to examine it before they went inside. "Hm, well this is rather…quaint? I think that is the word."

"It's not much, but it's still home for me, and now for you." Lucy responded as she opened the door. Inside was the usual one story home layout, with a main room, a kitchen over on the right with a dining room next to it, a living room with a tv and a sofa, and two bedrooms on the left side.

"Follow me." She said as she walked into one of the bedrooms, Jude soon catching up to her. The room they were in appeared to be a rather plain bedroom for a teenager, with a bed in the corner, a dresser for clothes with a mirror above it, and a desk and chair off to the side.

Lucy took a moment to watch as Jude soaked the room in. _I hope I set it up decently_ she thought as he slowly walked around it. She hadn't had much time to set up the room since she only had the idea to adopt Jude yesterday, and as a result did a bit of a rush job.

Jude turned around and looked at her, a smile on his face. "It's perfect" he said, as he unbuckled his backpack and set it down on the bed. Lucy smiled as she heard that from him, and made her way out of the room to let him unpack. "I'll be starting up dinner soon, so once you finish unpacking we can have that." She said as she entered the kitchen.

 _If I was stuck with any other family, I can guarantee this room would have been a nursery_ Jude thought as he unpacked. _Thank God she was there instead_. Soon he had all of his supplies laid out, which made him realize he still had a few cans of food he needed to do something with. He quickly stacked them up in a tower and carried it out of the room and into the kitchen.

As he carried the tower of cans over, he saw Lucy stirring something in a pot. He set down the cans next to her and tapped her shoulder. "Where would be a good place to put these?" He said as he gestured to the cans.

Lucy looked over at Jude's pile of cans, as she continued to stir. "Cabinet right below you is where I usually put canned foods."

"Thank you" Jude said as he opened it up, stacking the cans inside.

"Hope you like stew, as it's what is on the menu tonight" Lucy said, as she opened one of the cabinets above her, and pulled out two bowls.

"I don't think I have had stew all that much, though I look forward to it."

After a minute or so of setup the two of them sat down for dinner. Jude tasted the stew and was surprised at how good it was, honestly better than the soups he'd had for so long out in the Wilderness. He just sat in silence and ate it up, as Lucy watched.

"I never thought I'd find someone like you that enjoys my cooking so much." She said as he stopped to look at her, causing her to laugh. "You are usually more aggressive, so seeing you in this more passive state is quite the contrast."

"Well, what do you expect? No one is forcing anything I hate upon me, I don't have to worry about that happening, and most importantly, I trust you wouldn't try to hurt me like that."

That last part touched Lucy when she heard it. The fact that he outright said he trusted her meant a lot to her, especially given his sheer disdain for most of the other Pokémon he had encountered. "I guess you aren't such a tough guy after all." She said, causing Jude to cross his arms.

"Oh, you wish. If I wanted too I could smash another window in here, but I don't want to hurt myself again." He responded, causing her to laugh again.

Some time passed before the two of them finished dinner. After that Jude helped Lucy clean their dishes and clear off the table. Once that was done the two of them moved to the living room, Jude sitting down on the couch as Lucy turned on the television. She sat down beside him as the news came on, with one of the anchors discussing current events.

"If anything they say bothers you just let me know and I can turn it off." She said to Jude. He nodded his head in agreement as the two just sat there and watched for awhile.

Eventually Lucy noticed that Jude was yawning, so she decided to check the time. "Oh wow, its later than I thought" she said as she got up from the couch, turning it off in the process. "I think it's time we called it a night, alright?" she asked Jude.

"Sure" Jude said as he got up and stretched his arms. _Jeez, I am exhausted_ he thought as he slowly walked to his room. Before he opened the door Lucy stopped to say something to him.

"Tomorrow we are going to go clothing shopping so you don't have to walk around in the same outfit all the time." She said, causing Jude to groan. He'd had to do clothing shopping a few times in his life, and each time it was a slow and painful slog.

"Oh hush. It won't take that long, and once it is over we can do something else." She said as he walked into his room.

"Goodnight Jude" she said as she opened the door to her own bedroom. As she stepped inside she heard him respond with his own "Goodnight". Smiling at his response, she walked over to her bed and laid down to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

The next morning, Lucy woke up with renewed energy in herself. _Alright, today is a pretty big day_ she thought as she put on some clothes. She had requested the next few days off from work to help Jude get settled, and wanted to get started right away. She slipped on a blue shirt and black pants before opening her bedroom door and walking over to Jude's room. She slowly opened the door in case he was still asleep.

"Jude? It's time to get up" She said quietly. As she walked into his room she realized that he wasn't in his bed. "Wait, why would he…oh no" She thought as she frantically looked around the room. She noticed that his backpack was sitting in the corner of the room, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hold on, if his pack is still here, then where…?" She was about to continue that statement when she realized there was a sound of running water coming from the bathroom. _Oh my gosh I am so stupid_ she thought as she slapped herself.

Jude was whistling an old song as he was taking a cold shower. He figured they would likely head out early in the morning to do some clothing shopping, so he decided that getting a wakeup call this way would keep him from falling asleep later. As he reached turned off the water he heard the sound of a muffled slap from out of the door, and guessed it was Lucy, causing him to chuckle. _Oh ye of little faith_ he thought to himself as he stepped out of the shower.

Lucy waited outside the bathroom door for Jude to come out. _I need to trust that he won't just leave for the Wilderness again_ she thought as she contemplated where they would head for today. She knew of a few places around town, but most of them were focused primarily on infantile clothing. _I might have to play it by ear_ she thought as the bathroom door opened.

Jude stepped out of the bathroom in his old outfit, drying his hair off with a towel. "Morning, how goes it Lucy?" he said as he looked over at her.

"Well, I almost had a panic attack when I didn't see you in your room, but other than that I suppose you could say it was alright." She said, causing Jude to start laughing.

"If I wanted to leave, I wouldn't have left my backpack in the room. What do you take me for?" He responded, causing Lucy to blush.

"Sorry, I really should have more trust in you. I guess I am just paranoid."

"Don't apologize. If anything it makes sense for my guardian to worry about what I am doing, right?" _He has a point_ Lucy thought as he put the towel on a hook in the bathroom. _I guess I am just doing my job_.

"Right, onto business then. If you are all set I just need to grab a few things and we can head out. I know a few places around town we can look at, and hopefully we can find some decent clothing for you." Jude nodded his head in agreement, as Lucy grabbed a purse from her closet and put her house key inside of it before the two headed out.

Lucy and Jude started walking down the street towards some of the shops in the city. Jude still wasn't completely comfortable being out in public, especially since he stood out compared to all the other humans, which caused many of the other Pokémon to coo at him. His cheeks were red with embarrassment and frustration as Lucy turned to him.

"Don't let them get to you. They don't understand your disdain for that sort of thing." She said, trying to calm his nerves. Jude's eyes were red, and gave off the feeling of bitterness, but the emotion soon faded.

"Thanks for that." Jude said as he sighed. _God, I wish they would just mind their own business_ he thought as they arrived outside of one of the stores Lucy mentioned. He was mildly disturbed when he saw infant outfits displayed in the window, but to his relief there were at least a few decent outfits inside.

"Excuse me, sir" Lucy said as she approached one of the workers, a Politoad wearing a polo shirt and jeans. "We need to check his size for clothing."

"Ah, yes miss. Follow me." The Politoad motioned for the two of them to follow, as they walked over to a changing room. The Politoad grabbed a measuring tape and walked inside, motioning for Jude to follow him. He was hesitant at first, until Lucy put her paw on his shoulder. "It'll be fine, no one else is here, and I won't let anything happen to you." He sighed as he slowly walked inside, the Politoad pulling the curtain over the entrance.

Lucy sat in a nearby chair and waited for the two of them to finish. While waiting she realized that she had forgotten to take care of something important and pulled out her cell phone, opening up her contacts. She scrolled through the list before stopping in the M section, and quickly typed up a message and sent it off. _I can't believe I didn't tell her sooner, but so much has been going on I completely blanked about it_.

Soon Jude and the Politoad came out of the changing room, Jude looking somewhat embarrassed as he slipped his red jacket back on. "Miss, it appears that your son is around a size 13. We have plenty of clothes with that size in near the back of the store."

It took Lucy a second to respond to that, taken aback when he described Jude as _her son_. "Thank you" she finally said, as they both went over to the section for his size and started looking through the clothing.

Much to Jude's chagrin there wasn't much there that couldn't be described as anything less than infantile. There were some juvenile shirts, an assortment of onesies, even a section full of diapers and pacifiers. He shuddered as he took a few steps back out of reflex, only to back into someone. He turned around and nearly had a heart attack when he realized who he ran into.

"Hi there, remember me? We meet at that diner a few weeks ago!" it was the Meowstic from _The Jazz Valley_ , who seemed to be buying clothing for her son. Currently he was over with his Golurk father, sucking on a pacifier and wearing a green shirt with a bulbasaur on it and a diaper.

Jude's whole body started vibrating as he took a few steps away from the Meowstic. _Mother of God, of all the Pokémon to run into, why did it have to be her again?!_ He was about to turn and tell Lucy when he felt another sharp pain in his forehead, as the Meowstic started talking inside of his head again.

 _How have you been since I last saw you? Out shopping for some new clothes? I think you would look just adorable in a onesie. How has your mother been? Maybe the two of us should arrange a play date between you and my son._

Lucy was searching through the size 13 section, trying to find something that Jude would be comfortable with. She managed to find a plain white t-shirt and was about to show it to him when her jaw dropped. _Oh Arceus, not her again._ She thought when the Meowstic came into view. She dropped the t-shirt and ran over to Jude, shaking him to snap him out of it.

"Jude, let's leave." She said as she turned towards the exit, grabbing his hand with her paw. Before she could do that however, she was stopped by the Meowstic.

"Hello there, it's been awhile. I was just having a conversation with your adorable son! He is quite the quiet type, wouldn't you agree?" she said, blocking Lucy's path.

"Ma'am, I am sorry, but we are very busy today, and we need to get moving. Please excuse us." Lucy replied as she pushed her way past, carrying Jude with her. "Goodbye! Hopefully we will meet up sometime soon!" The Meowstic said after her as they exited the store.

Lucy took a moment to stop and check on Jude. He was practically vibrating from the encounter, his eyes zoning out. She grabbed his shoulders and thoroughly shook him out of it.

"Jude, are you ok?" She asked as he stopped to catch himself. He took a deep breath and exhaled before turning to her.

"Thanks, I needed that. God, that Meowstic is such an asshole! I did not want to talk to you, so why did you think that you had permission to get inside my head!?" His curled one of his hands up into fists and punched the wall of the store, his eyes red with anger.

"I know, and I am sorry. I should have stopped her before she got that far. Hopefully we won't run into her again anytime soon. Let's try somewhere else and try to forget about that horrible experience." Lucy said, sighing herself. This was to help find Jude some new clothes, and so far, their search had been a disaster, so she wanted to move on so they both could forget about what had happened.

Jude stopped and took a moment to think about that. _She just wanted to help me, it's not her fault we ran into that hellspawn of a Pokémon_. He made a note about that in his head as they continued down the street to one of the other shops on her list.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Despite the rocky start, Lucy and Jude had a half-decent haul for clothing shopping. From the second store onward, they were able to collect a few decent outfits for Jude's wardrobe. Occasionally they'd run into store workers who insisted that he would look better in more juvenile clothes, but Jude shot those ideas down immediately.

At the moment they had taken a break for drinks, stopping at a coffee shop. Lucy was sipping on a Frappuccino while Jude had regular water. She told him he could have coffee if he wanted but he said he wasn't a fan of caffeine.

"Well, I'd say this was a successful trip, wouldn't you agree?" Lucy asked Jude. Each of them had a bag full of clothing from their shopping, which were slung around the backs of their seats.

"I'll say. It started off horribly, but at least the rest of it wasn't half bad." Jude took another sip of his water, ignoring the occasional coo he heard from the other Pokémon inside of the coffee shop. The baby talk directed at him hadn't let up since they had left, so he had gradually developed a level of ignorance towards it.

"That's good. Well, we have gone to every location that I had thought of, what do you think we should do now?"

"Honestly, I am fine with heading back home if you are. I'm getting tired of hearing these Pokémon comment on how I look." Jude said, causing Lucy to giggle a little at his expense.

"Sure, I don't mind. Let's head home."

Once the two had finished their drinks they left the coffee shop and headed back. Lucy lead the way, carrying her bag on her back while Jude had his over his shoulder. Soon the house came into view, and Lucy asked Jude to unlock the door. She pulled out the key and handed it to Jude when her phone suddenly went off.

 _Huh? Who can that be?_ She thought as she pulled out her phone to check. It appeared that she had a new text message, and quickly checked to see who it was from. As she read the text message her face was filled with alarm as she quickly looked over at Jude, who had just unlocked the door.

"JUDE, STOP." She yelled at him, right as he opened the door. "What? Why?" He responded, before two black paws suddenly grabbed him, and yanked him inside.

 _Oh no, I have to stop her before she does anything to him_ Lucy thought as she rushed after him. She opened the door to see Jude being cradled by another Luxray. It was wearing a long black dress, and had a pair of reading glasses on.

"Ah, there you are Lucy! It seems I managed to beat you home. Sorry I didn't give you much of a warning, but when you dropped that you had adopted a boy I had to drop by to say hello to my new grandkit!" Jude's face had with a look of panic as he struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"M-Mother?! How did you even get in here?" Lucy stammered as she tried to think of something to say. She looked behind her mother to see that she had brought a bag full of stuff, and feared the worst.

"You know I have my own house key dear." Her mother responded, as she looked down at Jude. "Oh, you are just precious! I can see why daughter decided to adopt someone as cute as you!" she cooed at him, as her tail reached into the bag and pulled out a pacifier. Before Jude or Lucy could stop her, she plopped it into his mouth, causing his eye to go wide, red with a mixture of fear and panic.

"Mother, put him down!" Lucy exclaimed as she watched her mother pull out a package of diapers. Jude was flailing his body in a desperate attempt to break free, but all it did was make Lucy's mother adjust her hold on him.

"Why on earth would I want to do that? After all I brought a care package of supplies for you to help take care of him" She said as she started to unzip Jude's grey pants. With one swift motion she had his pants off and was about to reach for his underwear.

"HE'S HAVING A PANIC ATTACK. PUT HIM DOWN THIS INSTANT" Lucy yelled. Surprised at her sudden outburst, her mother dropped Jude, who without hesitation spit out the pacifier and sprinted out of the room into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. Lucy sighed as she looked at her mother with a disapproving face. "Mom, why did you do that to him? Did you not see that he was resisting you?"

"What do you mean Lucy? Lots of humans have been resistant to the babying. I was trying to ease him into it."

"You almost forced him into a diaper! How is that easing him into it?!" Lucy sighed as she put a paw to her forehead. "He already has a vendetta against this sort of stuff, and you doing that to him has done nothing more than make him afraid of you."

"Well, how was I supposed to know? You didn't make any mention of that in the message you sent me and your father, so I had no idea."

"I didn't think you'd decide to just show up today!" Lucy sighed as she went over and picked up Jude's pants off of the ground. "Where is Dad, anyway?"

"He was out on a business trip. I was just hanging around the house when I received your message."

"I'm going to go check on him to make sure he's alright. I want you to put that stuff away, and you better apologize when he comes out."

Lucy made her way over to Jude's room, and knocked on the door. "Jude, are you ok? She didn't mean to hurt you like that. Please come out."

Jude was laying down on his bed, curled up in fetal position. Tears were coming down his face and he was shivering from shock. _Why must the world torture me like this_ he thought as he heard Lucy's voice outside the door. He didn't want to go back out there, not so long as he knew that Pokémon was out there.

"Go away…" Lucy heard from inside Jude's room. "Jude, I know you are upset, but please, trust me. It's going to be ok." She responded. She didn't hear a response, but after a minute or so passed she heard the door unlock. She took a step back as Jude opened the door, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Don't worry. I've made sure she won't do that to you again." Lucy said to Jude as she handed him his pants and walked back into the living room, where her mother was waiting. Jude slowly inched his way into the living room, staying a safe distance away from Lucy's mother. He had his head down, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Sweetie, I am sorry that I did that to you. I wasn't aware of your feelings towards being babied, and I shouldn't have been so forceful." Lucy's mom said. Jude slowly lifted his head up and looked at her, still clearly afraid of her. He sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, hesitant to even get close to her.

"Mom, you said you brought a care package. Please tell me that you have at least one thing in there that would be suitable for Jude." Lucy said, hoping to try and dissolve the tension in the room.

"Well, give me a moment to double check. I think I have something in here." She responded, pulling out different things from the bag. Jude looked away from the bag, not wanting to see anything else from it. After a few minutes he heard her say "Ah, here it is!" causing him to look back at her.

In her paws she was holding up a black jacket. It sort of reminded Jude of his red jacket, but this one was different for a few reasons. The sleeves had blue and yellow stripes running along the backside, and the area around the stomach was blue. He also noticed that there was a hood attacked to the back of it, which reminded him of a Luxray's mane. That was when the realization hit him of what it was. "What a minute…Is that?"

"Yep! It's a Luxray jacket!" Lucy's mother said excitedly, causing Lucy to start blushing once she realized what she was planning. "It's part of a line of clothing that was made after the Revolution, so Pokémon could have their human children looked more like them." Lucy's mother also pulled out what appeared to be a pair of matching pants for the outfit. The pants were black on the top, and turned blue halfway down to the bottom. They seemed fine until Jude noticed there was a tail attached to the backside, which still made it appear a little bit childish.

"Since I was not aware of your overall feelings about your age at the time, I actually bought three versions of the outfit" She said, motioning to the bag, where Jude could still see tufts of black and blue inside. He took a guess that inside were outfits that looked more in line with a Shinx or a Luxio.

"Mom, you didn't have to do that" Lucy started to say, before her mother cut her off. "Oh hush, dear. I wanted to do it! But what I would like to see more is how they look on Jude. Would that be alright, honey?" She asked as she turned back to Jude.

"Um, sure." He replied, causing her mother to grin. She hastily gave him the jacket and pants and sent him off to the bathroom to change.

"Mom, I want to thank you for getting those for him, but I don't think we need all three of"

"Oh relax, dear. Besides, I want you to keep all of them regardless. You never know if he might decide to come around!"

"Mother!" Lucy exclaimed, causing her mother to giggle.

"I kid, I kid. But in all seriousness, keep them. I know you said he is very against the idea of being treated like a little kid, but you really never know. Anything can happen. I mean, I wasn't expecting to hear that I was a grandmother today, and look what happened."

"MOM" Lucy exclaimed again, as her mother turned from giggling to outright laughing.

"Ah, it always was easy to press your buttons, Lucy" her mother said, taking a moment to stop laughing. Just then Jude had stepped out of the bathroom, and walked into the living room, causing Lucy's mother to squee with delight.

"EEEEEEE! Just as I had hoped! You look absolutely adorable!" she exclaimed, as Lucy took a look herself. At first she thought that there was another Luxray in the room, then did a double take when she realized it was Jude! His cheeks were red with embarrassment at what her mother had said, but aside from his red eyes he did look strikingly similar to a Luxray in the outfit, just on his hind legs.

"Well, what do you think about it, Jude?" Lucy asked him. He took a second to stop and think about it before looking over to her.

"Honestly, aside from the tail that's stitched onto the pants, I kind of like it." He said, causing her mother to squee again. "I still prefer my old clothes to it, but this is not bad by any means."

"Oh I am so glad you like it!" Lucy's mom exclaimed. She had to admit it looked nice on him, and was glad that her mother had decided to get it.

After that the three of them spent some time talking about Jude, how he met Lucy, and his former title as The Lone Ranger. Lucy's mother had heard about him on the news, but didn't make the connection since they never showed his face. Eventually Lucy's mother said she should be heading back home and said goodbye to the two of them, leaving her bag with Lucy, despite both her and Jude arguing against it.

Before they could stop her, she had already gone out the door and was off, leaving the bag with the two of them. Jude wouldn't even come within 10 feet of it, so Lucy moved it into her room for now. The two decided to call it a night for now and went to bed, with Lucy pondering what her mother had said. _You never know if he might decide to come around. Anything can happen_.

"…Would he?"

 **Special thanks to Sky Hooves for the inspiration behind this chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

It had been a few days since Lucy's mother had dropped by to visit. Today was the day Lucy was supposed to head back to work, and she was currently adjusting her uniform before heading out. Jude was currently taking a shower in the bathroom, so she decided to leave a note for him when he got out telling him what she needed him to do. She quickly grabbed a sticky note and a pen and left it on the wall, opposite of the bathroom door before stepping out for work.

"I hope he doesn't get into any trouble while I am gone" she said to herself as she walked down the street. The note she had left for him was a grocery list, as they had started to run low on food. She'd talked to him about it yesterday and he was concerned about what might happen if he went out alone, but she said if he needed her then he knew how to reach her cell.

That was another thing they had done in the last few days, go out and get Jude a cell-phone so he could call her. He used to have an older model phone, but it was worn out and damaged as a result of being in his backpack for so long. Luckily, they were able to trade it in for a more recent model, and for a very good price to boot.

 _I shouldn't worry so much about him_ She thought as she continued towards the HAA building. _I've seen him in action before, and I know he can defend himself. Either that or he could use another one of his smoke bombs and run_.

Jude had just gotten out of the shower, and was drying his hair when he stepped out of the bathroom. Noticing Lucy's note on the wall, he grabbed it and looked at it to understand what he needed to get. _Noodles, some seasoning, sauce…I think I know what we are having for dinner tonight at least_. Jude slipped his red jacket back on before putting the note in his pocket.

Jude walked into his bedroom and grabbed his phone off the dresser before putting it in his other pocket. _I'm impressed she actually bought a phone for me_ he thought as he moved to the kitchen. The note said she had left some money for him to use for the groceries in the kitchen, which he quickly found laying out on the island.

 _Cool. This will definitely be enough_ he thought as he picked up the cash before heading out himself. It took him a moment to take the first step outside, since he didn't have Lucy to keep the other Pokémon away, but he gathered his energy and forced himself to go out.

"Alright, I believe the grocery store is this way." He said as he turned to the right and started down the street. He tried to ignore the stares of the other Pokémon he passed and carry on, though hearing some of them coo at him was still irritating. _Mind your own damn business for once, jeez_ he thought as he rounded a corner.

 _It should be around here somewhere_ he thought as he took a moment to look around. He'd been walking a fair bit, and knew he had to be close. "Ah, there it is" He said to himself, noticing a corner of the store between two buildings. He made his way across the street and walked a bit further before eventually coming up to the entrance.

 _Ok, we walk in, get the groceries, and get out._ He thought to himself. He had considered briefly using this opportunity to look for supplies if he wanted to head back to the woods, but realized that was stupid for two reasons. One was that it he didn't have enough cash to pay for that without skipping over some of the groceries Lucy wanted, and the other was that the last thing he wanted was to run into another nosy Pokémon by staying longer than necessary.

 _I swear to GOD, if I run into that fucking Meowstic ONE MORE TIME_ he thought, before snapping himself out of it. Sighing to himself he walked through the doors and stepped inside.

Unfortunately for Jude, the store seemed pretty packed for today. It didn't matter which direction he looked, everywhere he turned he saw other Pokémon shopping, a few of them with human children. He groaned before getting a move on, pulling out the list to see what he needed to pickup.

"Ok, this shouldn't take too long." He said to himself as he walked through the aisles. He got a few suspicious stares from Pokémon, but he tried to ignore them as he continued on. Jude carefully grabbed the items he needed and hastily put them into a grocery bag. As soon as he grabbed the last thing on the list he turned around and accidentally bumped into another Pokémon, dropping some of the items onto the floor.

 _Oh for the LOVE OF…Please don't be that Meowstic_ he thought as he took a moment to apologize. To Jude's relief it wasn't that godforsaken Pokémon, instead it was a rather small Umbreon, wearing a purple shirt and black skirt.

"Er, sorry about that" He said to her, taking a moment to grab the stuff that had fallen out. The Umbreon just stood there staring at him, its red eyes looking him over. Jude quickly put the items back in his bag and walked out of the aisle towards checkout. _Why was she just staring at me like that?_ Jude thought as he got in line for checkout. Before he could ponder the question any further, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

 _Oh great, what now?_ Jude thought as he turned around. Standing in front of him was a large Kangaskhan, wearing the store uniform. "Hello there little one, are you lost?" She asked as she towered over him. _Oh, come on, I was almost out!_ Jude thought as he scrambled to say something. "No, I'm buying groceries. What, is it illegal for a guy to buy groceries for his family?" He responded, crossing his arms out of irritation.

"Oh, well aren't you a responsible one! Though your parents should really be the ones handling the groceries. In fact, where are your parents?" She asked as she looked over Jude. _Goddammit. Why does everyone assume I can't take care of things by myself?_ "Well, they are out at work. They trusted me to get the groceries myself." Jude said matter-of-factly, pulling out the grocery list for the Kangaskhan to look at.

The Kangaskhan worker took a moment to look at Jude's List. _Well, it is a grocery list, but there is no guarantee that he is telling the truth about his parents._ _So just to make sure…_

Jude was about to turn back around since it was his turn in line when the Kangaskhan suddenly grabbed his arm. "What th-HEY. Let go!" Jude exclaimed as he struggled to break free, but to no avail. "Sorry sweetie, but unless your parents are with you it's pretty hard to believe what you are saying. So, we are just going to have to call them and wait for them to show up, ok?"

Jude couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was literally inches away from getting out without a problem, and now here he was, being literally dragged away from the register. He tried to use his other hand to free his arm, but the Kangaskhan's grip was too strong for him.

"Look, if you want me to call them, I can do it myself" Jude said, as he pulled out his cellphone. The Kangaskhan continued to drag him away from the checkout line, but she did at least turn her head to see what he was doing. He quickly dialed Lucy's number and held the phone up to his ear as he waited for her to pickup.

"…Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. Things didn't turn out the way I would have liked out here."

" _Sigh_. Sorry to hear about that. I'll be down there as soon as I can to bail you out of there. Just hang in there."

"That's all I really can do, to be fair."

"You know what I mean. Be safe."

With that Lucy hung up on her end, sighing to herself. _I was afraid this would happen._ She walked out of her office towards her boss' room to explain the situation.

Meanwhile Jude was still being dragged by the Kangaskhan down the aisles. He turned his head to see where she was walking towards, and his eyes became red with fear. _Oh no, she can't be serious._

He was shocked that he hadn't seen it earlier, because the Kangaskhan was dragging him towards what appeared to be a section for little kids. It was gated off from the rest of the store, and had a few of store employees inside of it, watching over a few human kids, who Jude immediately realized were dressed like babies. This sight just made him struggle even more as they neared the children's' section.

The Kangaskhan came to a stop just outside the section, and using both hands grabbed Jude's waist, causing him to start shaking to try and escape. "Please stop struggling dear, this is for your own safety. You will be safe here until your parents show up."

 _I was perfectly safe until you showed up, you bitch!_ Jude thought as she lifted him up and into the children's area. She called over one of the workers inside of it and said "This one was walking around without his parents. Please keep an eye on him until his parents come to pick him up."

 _You son of a Bitch_ Jude thought as he watched her leave. He knew he could easily climb out of the area, but that wouldn't help his case. If anything, it would make them suspect that he was a runaway and call the HAA on him again, and he didn't want that to happen. As much as it irritated him, he knew that the best-case scenario was to just wait it out until Lucy came by.

"Goddammit" Jude muttered under his breath, keeping his voice low so no one would hear him. He stayed where he was, his eyes red with resentment over his situation as he observed the area. There were a few other kids in the area, but they were all dressed like babies, and it wasn't hard to tell that they were diapered.

As he stood there and contemplated what he should do, a few of the other children tried to approach him. His red eyes kept most of them away, but one of them got past that and walked up to him. She was about a foot shorter than he was, and was wearing a pink onesie with flowers on the front. Her hair was tied back in pigtails and there was a pacifier in her mouth, which she took out before speaking to him.

"Hi there. I haven't seen you around town before. My name is Sarah, what about you?" She said politely. Jude didn't respond to her question, just staring at her, his red eyes giving off a feeling of bitterness. Despite that, she wouldn't leave, causing Jude to sigh before responding. "I'd prefer not to say, though the news used to call me Lone Ranger."

"Oh, that, was you? I heard about you from my parents. They said you were just recently out of the hospital." Sarah said. "The red eyes you have really make you stand out compared to the other kids here. They seem much more…sad."

"Excuse me?" Jude was not expecting that response from her. Usually people saw anger and bitterness in them, not sadness.

"Well, that's just what I see in them. So, are your parents shopping here as well?" She said, causing Jude to almost curse aloud.

"No. Actually, I was here to pick up the groceries myself. But since no one trusts a human, they stuck me here instead, and now I'm stuck waiting to get picked up."

"Oh wow, they must really trust you. My mommy just leaves me here while she picks up the groceries." Sarah said, as she turned around and walked away, motioning for Jude to follow. He was hesitant at first, but since he had nothing else to do he figured he might as well.

"So, your parents don't treat you like a baby?" Sarah said, catching Jude off guard. "No, why? She knows I hate that, so we agreed that it wouldn't happen."

"It's just interesting to find someone who isn't treated like a baby around here. I used to really dislike it, but after a while I honestly grew to enjoy it."

"Well, I have no intention of ever trying it, let alone enjoying it" Jude retorted, irritated by the idea that there were humans act actually enjoyed being treated like a baby.

"You sound like me about 3 months ago." Sarah said, stopping to look at him. "That was before I was adopted by my mommy and daddy. I thought that it would be demeaning being treated this way, but they don't mean any harm by it. It's just their way of showing that they care about me."

"Well my relationship is not the same as you and your parents. She is my legal guardian, and nothing else." Jude said, causing Sarah to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"She may be now, but can you guarantee that you will feel that same way in the future? You never know what might happen." Sarah said to him, as he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Yes, He's…my son. Now let him out of there." Lucy said, stuttering for a moment before calling Jude her son. One of the workers brought Jude out to her as Sarah said goodbye to him.

"Sorry things didn't go so well. I should have guessed they'd be paranoid about seeing a human all alone out here." She said, causing him to sigh.

"It's all right. It wasn't your fault. And at least nothing stupid happened to me." The two quickly made their way to checkout and soon left the store.

The Umbreon that Jude had run into before was watching them, silently thinking about what it had seen.

 _…_ _Jude?_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

It had been a few days since the incident at the grocery store, and Lucy's mother had decided to drop by for another visit. She actually warned Lucy beforehand this time, but Lucy unfortunately had to work that day, so it was just her mother and Jude in the house at the moment. Due to a request from her, Jude was wearing his Luxray outfit, even though the tail in the back still bothered him. Currently the two were partaking in a rather intense argument.

"No"

"Yes"

"No.

"Yes."

"NO."

"YES."

"NO MEANS NO. I AIN'T DOING ANY OF THAT CRAP, AND THERE IS NOTHING IN HEAVEN OR HELL THAT WILL CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE."

"THEN WHAT ABOUT ON EARTH?!"

The argument had broken out when Lucy's mother started talking to Jude about the idea of being babied. He made his stance very clear, though she seemed to think she could convince him otherwise. As a result, it was a constant back and forth of the two, with Jude and Lucy's mother escalating in volume until they wound up yelling at one another.

Eventually the two took a moment to calm down, realizing they both were getting a bit ridiculous, and tried to discuss it more sensibly.

"Let's try this again" Lucy's mother said, after taking a moment to collect herself. "You have made it quite clear how you feel about being babied, and I have made my thoughts clear as well. But at the same time, you have never actually tried it, correct? Each time someone forced it on you, you quickly broke out of it, am I wrong?"

"No, that's right. But I don't have any intention of trying it out myself. It's just…I don't get why anyone would even WANT to try something like that. It's degrading, humiliating, and should not be a thing that happens to human children."

"I think I see where you are coming from. It may also have something to do with the fact that compared to a lot of other human children, you are a fair bit older than quite a lot of them. So, you feel that you should be treated more like an adult rather than a child, am I right?"

Jude sighed at that last comment. She wasn't wrong, and he was annoyed that she wasn't, since he didn't have a counter argument to that. "That's right. I'm Fifteen years old, and I feel that I shouldn't be treated like a little kid."

"I understand. But at the same time, a lot of humans, even some around your age, have been willing to at least try a few things out for their new families. Is there another reason for your disdain?"

"Not really. Remember though, I don't consider Lucy my mother. I have a lot of trust with her, but I don't believe that we have much of an emotional connection."

Jude had dropped that information to Lucy's mother during her last visit, and when that happened she was rather shocked. According to her, she believed they had rather good chemistry, and were honestly pretty alike. Not so much in personality but in their views on respect.

"Hm. That could be another hurdle about your viewpoint towards it I suppose."

"Hurdle?! You make it sound like that's my end goal!" Jude exclaimed, causing Lucy's mother to burst out laughing.

"Sorry dear, but just like my daughter, it is very entertaining to push your buttons." She responded, causing Jude to blush.

"Though this did give me a bit of an idea. How about the two of us play a game?" Lucy's mother said, causing Jude to raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Oh, come now, do these eyes look like ones you can't trust?"

"Yes, actually." Jude responded, causing Lucy's mother to laugh again.

"And just like my daughter, you can see through my plans immediately."

"You weren't exactly being subtle about it. So, what exactly did you have in mind?" Jude suspected she had something devious up her sleeve, and wasn't going to just let her go through with it.

"Basically, the two of us partake in a game of cards, but here is the catch. Whoever loses has to do any one thing the other says for the rest of the day." The two of them sat in silence as Lucy's mother watched Jude mull over the idea in his head.

 _Its blatantly obvious what she wants to do, but at the same time, the idea of turning the tables on her is tempting_ Jude thought. He was rather experienced in card games for someone his age, and figured he at least had a decent chance of coming out of this unscathed. _Fuck it, Lucy isn't home now, it probably won't be too bad_.

"Alright, what card game did you have in mind exactly?"

"Given you're more mature mindset, I imagine you are familiar with Poker?"

"Course I am"

"Then we will play a round of that. Whoever has the better hand wins."

And so, the game was decided, as Lucy's mother pulled out a deck of cards for the two to use. They moved to the dining room and shuffled it thoroughly before passing the cards between them. Soon three rounds had passed and it was time for the two to show their cards to one another.

 _Hmm, not a bad hand for what it's worth_ Jude thought as he looked over his cards. He had a four of a kind, with the four jacks and a random 8 in his hand. _There isn't much that can beat a hand like this._

"Ready? 3, 2, 1, Show." Lucy's Mother said, as the two showed their hands.

In Jude's hand was the Four of a Kind, while in her hand was a Straight Flush.

"SON OF A" Jude said when he saw her hand. By official rules, a Flush was worse than a Four of a Kind, but a Straight Flush was better.

"Well, it looks like I win, my little grandkit. And you know what that means." Lucy's mother said, a devious grin on her face. _Shit, what have I gotten myself into?_ Jude thought as he started sweating bullets.

"Since you lost, I get to do any one thing to you. And I think I know exactly what I want to do." She said as she got up from her seat. "My request for you, is to let me diaper you. And you can't take it off until the end of the day."

Jude was afraid she was gonna say that, but what could he do? He may be known for being aggressive and often vulgar, but he wouldn't go back on his word. Heaving a massive sigh, he slowly stood up as Lucy's mother motioned for him to follow her. Mildly terrified, Jude followed behind her into the Living Room, where she asked him to wait on the couch. She walked into Lucy's room and soon came back with supplies from the bag she had left last time.

"Alright my grandkit, lay down on the ground and we can begin." Lucy's mother said with a smile, causing Jude to blush profusely. He slowly and begrudgingly laid himself down on the ground, keeping his eyes away from Lucy's mother.

"Don't worry, I won't take long." She said as she soon got to work. _I am getting a somewhat disturbing sense of Déjà vu_ Jude thought as he was reminded of their much more terrifying first encounter.

Using her tail, Lucy's mother quickly unzipped Jude's pants and soon had them off, leaving him in his underwear. _Yep. Definitely getting Déjà vu, and I do not like it_ Jude thought. Though unlike last time, Jude's underwear was soon removed as well.

"And now for the fun part" She said, lifting his legs up before sliding an open diaper underneath him. She sprinkled a generous amount of baby powder down before folding up the sides of the diaper and closing it.

"Alright my little grandkit, all done" Lucy's mother said, as she slipped a pair of pants back over his legs. Jude raised his head off the ground to survey the damage. There was an extremely obvious bulge in his pants from the diaper, but that wasn't the only thing he noticed. The pants he was wearing was different from last time, being all black instead of half blue. His eyes were red with embarrassment as he realized what he was wearing.

"...Did you…?"

"Yep. Since you looked fairly younger in a diaper, I thought it would look better if you were wearing the Shinx pants instead of the Luxray ones." She responded, causing him face to turn even more red than it already was. "Sorry if that was too much, but I just thought it would make you look so cute!"

Using her tail, Lucy's mother showed that she was carrying the Shinx jacket on her back, which she laid down next to Jude. It was mostly blue, with yellow stripes on the arms black around the neck. Realizing what she was implying, he took off the Luxray jacket and slipped the Shinx jacket over his white shirt. He stood back up and felt right away how different it was wearing a diaper instead of underwear.

"Alright let's see. First thoughts…not a fan of how much stiffer it feels on my legs." He said bluntly, causing Lucy's mother to giggle. "I expected that much from you honestly. But remember, no taking it off until the end of the day. After all, you wouldn't want to go back on your word, right?" She said, a look of mischief in her eyes.

"You and I both know I would if I could. Luckily for you, and unfortunately for me, I don't do that."

"Fair enough. Though I can't want to see the look on Lucy's face when she gets home."

"Oh, for God's sake" Jude said, putting his hand to his forehead. _Should have guessed that was part of her scheme as well_.

"So, now what would you like to do?" Lucy's mother asked Jude.

"Eh, I got nothing."

"Why don't the two of us just relax and watch some television then?"

"Sure."

So, the two sat down on the sofa and turned on the television. Jude was not amused when he discovered the diaper crinkled whenever he moved, much to Lucy's mother's entertainment. Though he was at least able to keep his mind off of it once they both got into the show they were watching. It featured a Plusle and Minun that lived with their crazy uncle, a Zangoose, over the summer.

After some time had passed, the sound of a door opening could be heard, and Jude guessed that meant Lucy was home. He guessed right as soon saw her walk into the living room.

"How is it going you two? Work was a rush tod…Mom, was this you're doing?" Lucy did as she double-taked at Jude's new outfit. Jude blushed when he saw that she was staring at his crotch area, no doubt recognizing the bulk of a diaper under his pants.

"You know me too well dear. Jude and I had a bit of a bet, and I won. So, he let me diaper him for the day." Lucy's mother said, a grin on her face. Lucy turned her head to Jude, who had his head down from that comment.

"Jude, are you ok with this?" She said, a tone of concern in her voice. He looked up at her before sighing.

"I took a risk with that bet, and unfortunately I lost. I don't enjoy it mind you, but I wasn't about to go back on my word." Jude said, a look of defeat in his eyes.

"Well, then I guess it's all right." Lucy said.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Lucy's mother said, as she suddenly flipped up the hood of the Shinx jacket over Jude's head. The hood was completely blue, and had a little curl on the top, and big blue ears with yellow on their insides. This caused Jude's face to turn even more red as Lucy's mother pulled him into a hug. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist. You are just so precious in this outfit!" She said as she rubbed her head against his.

Lucy chuckled to herself at the display. While she knew he would probably fight her if she said it aloud, Jude did honestly look cute dressed as a Shinx. Though she still thought the diaper was a bit too much, as he clearly was bothered by it.

"So, how was your day then?" Lucy's mother asked her.

"It wasn't all that much. Just a lot of busywork to fill out, nothing interesting."

The three of them talked for a bit, but soon Lucy's mother headed home, realizing she was supposed to have dinner with her husband tonight. She said her goodbyes and mentioned that next time she would bring him so Jude could see him.

Once her mother was gone, Lucy turned to Jude and said they should probably have dinner themselves. Jude agreed and they soon made dinner, with it this time being spaghetti and meatballs. The two eagerly dug in, Jude commenting that it was probably the best meal he'd had so far.

Soon after that it was time for bed, with both Jude and Lucy being quite lethargic from dinner. Before Jude went to bed, Lucy stopped him to remind him that he didn't have to wear the diaper anymore, causing him to blush. He'd honestly forgotten about it during dinner, and was embarrassed to have not realized that he could take it off. Giggling at his situation, Lucy sent him to bed, giving him permission to put his underwear back on before turning in for the night herself.

 **Thanks to all who read this far. If you want to see more about Jude's past, check out my prologue to this story, The Delta League.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

The next morning, Lucy was on the phone talking with someone, while Jude was doing some one-handed pushups in his room. "23, 24, 25, 26" He said to himself as he worked, intending to break at least a hundred before he would stop. He could hear Lucy talking outside, but wasn't paying too much attention to it himself.

"Yeah, he's honestly been doing really well for himself. We've had some rather irritating encounters, but for the most part I think Jude has settled down quite well. How has it been on your end? …Really? I didn't know you had one. Maybe I should drop by with Jude so they can meet each other. Besides, I'm willing to bet you are dying to see him yourself, am I right? …I thought so. Well I'll see if I can convince him. Hopefully I'll see you soon!"

Lucy had just wrapped up a conversation with a friend of hers from work. She was wearing a grey shirt with a green jacket, with denim jeans instead of her usual uniform. Apparently, they had adopted a child rather recently as well, so the two decided it would be interesting to have both them and Jude meet. She walked into Jude's room to tell him the news, but stopped to watch him finish his morning routine.

"98…99…100!" Jude collapsed on the ground, his forehead covered in sweat. He was wearing a red tanktop and black shorts, his typical exercise outfit. He took a moment to catch his breath as he turned his head to the side, seeing Lucy standing in his doorway. "Oh…good morning…How goes it?" He said to her, still gasping for breath.

"Well, I just got off the phone with a friend of mine from work. Turns out they had recently adopted someone as well, and she wants us to meet them. Sound good?" Lucy said. She was curious as to what Jude would think, though also hoped he wouldn't shoot her down.

"Sure…Just…Give me a minute." Jude responded, lifting himself off the ground and wiping some of the sweat off his face.

"Excellent. We can leave once you cool off." Lucy said, before getting a sniff of Jude's body odor. "…And take a shower"

"Fine."

After he cooled down, Jude took a quick, cold shower and changed into his usual attire. He was adjusting his red jacket as the two of them stepped out of the house and started down the road. He was curious who Lucy's friend was, as she didn't often talk about other Pokémon from work.

"So, who is this mystery friend of yours anyway?"

"Oh, she's a Cinccino named Alex. She used to work in the same division as me, but recently got a transfer for a more office based job. Said something about not enjoying the field work."

"Alright. Now, do I need to keep 10 paces away from them?" Jude said. Lucy took a second to understand what he was getting at before responding.

"No, you should be fine. I've already informed her of how you prefer to be treated."

"Good. So, 5 paces away then."

"Jude!" She exclaimed, causing him to start laughing.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Just so long as I don't have to worry about that crap happening again, we won't have any problems."

Lucy sighed to herself as the two continued down the street. Soon Alex's house came into view, a two-story home with a stone walkway from the street up to the door.

"Well, here we are" Lucy said, as Jude examined the house.

"Hm, this is a step up in value."

"Hey! I worked hard to afford my house!" Lucy retorted, causing Jude to laugh again.

"Man, your mom was right. It IS easy to push your buttons."

"Oh shut up! Besides, Maria considers herself your grandmother. She'd probably appreciate it if you addressed her more appropriately."

"Eh, touché."

The two walked up to the door, with Lucy knocking on it and calling for Alex. Soon the door opened as they saw Cinccino standing inside, wearing a short purple dress.

"Lucy! It's been too long since you last visited!" The Cinccino said, suddenly pulling her into a hug.

"Hi Alex. How have you been?" Lucy said as she hugged back.

"I've been doing just peachy. Please, come in!" Alex said, stepping out of the way so Lucy and Jude could walk inside.

The interior of Alex's home was more modern than Lucy's. There appeared to be a theme of black and white in her furniture choice, as everything was one of those two colors. There was a staircase by the door that led up to the second floor, with the kitchen right behind it. On the right side was the living room, and down the hall was a dining room.

"So, I assume you are Jude?" Alex said, turning to face him. "Don't worry, Lucy has informed me of how you want to be treated."

Jude smiled after hearing that, turning to Lucy. The two followed Alex who led them over to the living room, where they could see a young girl was sitting on the couch. It took Jude a second, but he quickly realized it was Sarah, the girl he'd met at the grocery store. She was wearing a pair of overalls and a pink t-shirt underneath, and based on the bulk around her rear he guessed she was diapered.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to run into you here." Sarah said, as she turned her head to see Jude.

"Small world, isn't it?" Jude said in response, confusing Lucy.

"Oh, you two know each other, Jude?"

"Yeah. We meet during that mishap at the store."

"Jude, huh? So that's your name. You never did tell me your actual name when we meet you know."

"Well how was I supposed to know I'd see you again?" Jude retorted, causing Lucy and Alex to start laughing.

"Let me guess, you used your Lone Ranger title instead?" Lucy asked Jude.

"What else was I supposed to do? I'm not a fan of just giving away my personal life. You know that" Lucy felt a bit of a chill hearing that, being reminded of how closed off Jude used to be when she first met him.

"Right, so! I was actually in the middle of setting up lunch when you arrived" Alex said, snapping Lucy's attention back to her. Alex walked over to where Sarah was sitting and picked her up before heading to the dining room. Lucy and Jude followed behind and found that she was strapping Sarah into a high chair.

 _Jeez, they go that far?_ Jude thought, mildly disturbed at the sight of someone around his age doing something like that. Both Lucy and Jude sat down on the other side of the table as Alex left to bring in lunch, leaving them with Sarah.

"So, Sarah, how long have you been with Alex?" Lucy asked.

"I think it's been about…3 months? Somewhere around that timeframe. It's been so long I honestly forgot."

"Ah. I see that you two also came to an agreement regarding being babied as well."

"Yeah. I used to be really against it, but eventually, me and mommy came to an understanding about it"

Lucy expected it to be like that. Most humans from what she recalled started out hating being babied, but would later come to like it. _Though, I don't think that is going to be the same case with Jude_ she thought as she looked over at him. Jude looked like he was getting nauseous just thinking about it, so Lucy put her paw on his shoulder.

"It's ok. Just relax" Lucy whispered into his ear. Jude took a second to collect himself, breathing a sigh as he relaxed his shoulders. _Focus. This won't happen to you, so calm down_ he thought to himself as Alex came back.

"Hope you two like lasagna!" She said with a smile, carrying in a tray of lasagna. She set it down in the center of the table, using a knife to cut it up into pieces. She let both Lucy and Jude take their own pieces, but after taking a piece for herself, she started feeding Sarah. Jude was mildly disturbed by the site of it, but soon ignored it when he started to dig in.

"So, how has it been being a parent, Lucy?" Alex asked, continuing to feed Sarah. Lucy blushed at the thought of being considered Jude's parent before responding.

"First off, I don't think of myself as a parent. I think legal guardian is a better way to put it. Second, I think it's gone rather well. Wouldn't you agree Jude?"

"…Well, aside from a few instances that would drive me to drink, it has been decent" Jude responded.

"Oh hush, you aren't even old enough to do that."

"That wouldn't stop me."

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed, causing Alex to start laughing.

"Oh, it is just a treat to hear you two banter! It's nowhere near as entertaining to watch as me and Sarah." Alex took a moment to clean Sarah's face, which had gotten pretty messy from the lasagna. Sarah just sat there with a smile as she cleaned her face, which confused Jude. _How is she ok with all of this?_ He thought as him and Lucy watched.

As lunch continued, the conversation shifted around between the four of them. Lucy asked Sarah how she lived before being adopted, and found that she used to travel from town to town for supplies, until being ambushed by a patrol. After that she was soon adopted by Alex, who was at the time willing to be a bit lenient on her being babied, only asking her to try a few things at the start. Overtime Sarah warmed up to the concept, and eventually gave Alex full control about it, unless she crossed a line.

Jude and Lucy had a few stories to share with the two of them, mainly involving all the mishaps Jude went through at the hospital. After awhile they all finished lunch, and moved to the living room to continue their conversation. Lucy and Alex were discussing their jobs at the HAA, while Sarah was talking to Jude.

"So, you really haven't tried any of the babying stuff?" Sarah asked Jude.

"Nope. And I have no intention to. The most that happened was I lost a card game and got some of it forced upon me for the day."

"Huh, that's interesting. I wonder though, what would you do if she suddenly asked you to try a few things for her?" Sarah said, making Jude double-take. He didn't consider that a possibility, Lucy actually trying to get him to try being babied. _Would she...? No, she knows I hate that stuff. She wouldn't dare._

"I doubt that would ever happen."

"Hey, you never know. Remember, I didn't think I'd enjoy it, but after enough time I kind of do."

Jude was about to make a counterargument to that when he smelled something foul. He put his hand to his nose as Alex came over and picked up Sarah.

"Oh, it smells like someone had a mess. Let's go take care of that, shall we?" She said as she carried Sarah into another room.

 _No fucking way. Did she actually?_ Jude couldn't even finish that thought without feeling sick to his stomach. He clutched his chest with one arm and groaned, catching Lucy's attention.

"Jude, are you ok?" She asked him. He looked like he was going to be sick to her.

"Where is the bathroom? I think I might throw up." He responded, his legs trembling. Lucy quickly directed him to the bathroom, staying outside of the room as he closed the door behind him. She put her ear up to the door, and could hear the sound of Jude vomiting. _Oh, I hope he's ok. What could have caused him to get so sick?_

Jude stopped after a few minutes to try and calm himself, panting heavily. _GOD. Just thinking about that…no, don't think about it again. I don't want to vomit any more_. He had been vomiting into the toilet for a good 5 minutes, but needed to get it out of his system after that thought entered his head.

 _Concentrate. Don't think about that again. Just focus on…anything else._ Taking another moment to do a few deep breaths, Jude flushed the toilet before opening the door. He noticed that Lucy was waiting for him outside, a look of worry on her face.

"Are you ok Jude?"

"…I'm fine. I just…needed to get something out of my system." He huffed, walking past her back to the living room, where Alex and Sarah were waiting.

"Ah, there you two are. Is something the matter?" Alex asked, noticing Jude's face was still pale.

"Jude just got a little sick is all. It's fine"

"Are you alright?" Alex asked, a worried tone in her voice as she looked back at Jude.

"…Yes." Jude said, his voice sounding more irritated than anything. Alex decided not to press him any further, instead turning to Sarah, who she started cuddling. Despite her cheeks being red, Sarah was giggling in response to the sudden attention given to her by Alex, which left Jude staring at them with a _WTF_ expression.

Lucy could guess that it was how Sarah was being babied that was affecting Jude. She was surprised at how much of a reaction it got out of him, but at the same time it wasn't too surprising. He'd made it clear to her that he downright despised it, so seeing it in full force was probably a gut punch to him.

The four continued to talk after that, with Lucy making sure to steer the conversation away from any topics regarding babying. She didn't want Jude to get sick again, so she did her best to keep the conversation from crossing that line again. After some time had passed they realized it was getting late, so both Lucy and Jude agreed that it was time for them to head home.

"I'll see you sometime next week, all right Alex?"

"Of course! Maybe we can do this again sometime! I enjoyed this"

"Sure. Would that be alright Jude?" Lucy asked Jude, who shrugged at the question.

"Eh, I suppose it wouldn't be too bad."

They soon said their goodbyes and headed home. Once they got back Lucy asked Jude if he'd like to watch a movie at dinner, which he seemed interested in. He went into his room to get changed as Lucy set up dinner.

"I wonder what movie we should watch…" Lucy said to herself as she prepared dinner. It was a simple microwave dinner of potatoes and steak, since she knew they'd be watching the movie on the couch. After putting it in the microwave and setting the timer, she went over to the living room and looked through her stack of movies by the television. _Hmmm, what looks interesting_ She thought as she browsed the stack, eventually pulling out one of them.

 _Ah, here we go. 'The GodFearow'. A bit mature, but I think he'll like it._ She pulled out the DVD and set it into the DVD player before seeing Jude come back. "Oh! I wasn't expecting to see that outfit again." She said, realizing he was wearing his Shinx outfit.

"Yeah, though honestly its surprisingly comfortable. I think it's the material, it's just so…soft compared to my usual outfit."

"Alright. This is the movie we are gonna watch" Lucy says, showing the DVD case to Jude. "It's about a Fearow Mob Boss who is in a struggle to keep in power while protecting his family. It's a bit bloody at times, but I thought you might like it."

"Sure, sounds badass honestly" Jude responded, causing Lucy to giggle. She soon heard the microwave ding, and went over to get their dinner, telling Jude to wait on the couch. She brought their dinner over and laid it down on the coffee table in front of them, then grabbed the remote and started the movie.

 _Oh wow. This is…surprisingly brutal. I didn't expect her to have something this violent_ Jude thought as he watched. He was pretty engrossed in the film, only occasionally breaking his focus on it to eat dinner. Lucy decided to test his attention to the film by flipping the hood of the Shinx jacket up, which he didn't even notice. _He's really into this_ she thought.

After watching for quite some time Lucy noticed that Jude was starting to nod off. She was about to say something to him when he leaned into her, finally falling asleep. _Wow, he must have been really burned out from today_. She considered stopping the movie to take him to bed, but he seemed quite content where he was, asleep with his head in her lap. With his outfit on she was almost able to imagine it as though she had her own little Shinx sleeping on her lap.

 _Maybe he doesn't need to move_ Lucy thought, before yawning to herself. Now that she thought about it, she was pretty worn out herself. Her eyes started to get heavy as she contemplated going to bed, but ultimately decided she was content with sleeping on the couch with Jude. Lucy soon closed her eyes and fell asleep herself, unconsciously curling her body around Jude in the process.

The movie soon ended after the two fell asleep, Lucy sleeping around Jude like a mother around her kit.

 **Thanks again to Sky Hooves for the inspiration behind this chapter. If anyone has any ideas for future chapters, feel free to let me know.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

It was the middle of the night. Both Lucy and Jude were sound asleep, Jude's head against Lucy's body. Periodically, Jude would shake in his sleep, something disturbing him in his dreams…

"This is it. This is the day that we take down Lance and become Champion!" Jude was standing in a waiting room, discussing a game plan with his Team. He'd challenged the Champion of Johto, Lance, to a battle in the Colosseum, and wanted his Team to bring their A Game. As a result, everyone was out of their pokeballs, listening to him and helping formulate a strategy.

"Alright, Cordelia, I want you out first to setup our line of defense. Current, I'm counting on you to slow his Pokémon down with Thunder Wave and Rain Dance. Artemis, you can tank just about anything he throws at you, so I want you to use Toxic to stall out whoever you go up against. Alucard, if Artemis falls, you rush in and knock them out before they have a chance to recover. Baron, you are the king of sweeping if we can get the right setup, so keep on guard and try to avoid their attacks until you can take them down. And Infernostar…"

Jude turned to Infernostar, who was standing beside him, listening intently. "I want you as our Ace in the Hole. If all else fails, I am counting on you to blaze through whatever Lance still has up his sleeve." Infernostar nodded in agreement to that statement, giving Jude the thumbs up. "Does anyone have any questions before we head out?" Jude asked, looking around at the members of his team. To his relief everyone shook their head at that statement, a look of confidence across each of their faces.

"Awesome. Now let's get out there, and show Lance what a REAL challenger is!" Jude said with excitement in his voice. Everyone roared in response, just as energized as him, as Jude called them back to their pokeballs, leaving just him and Infernostar out.

"Let's do this partner." With that, Jude and Infernostar left the room, heading towards their entrance to the arena. Jude could see Lance was already waiting for them, standing with a look of confidence himself. _I'm gonna show him a battle for the ages_ Jude thought as he stepped out into the arena, taking a moment to hear the crowd cheer before stepping into position.

"You ready for your final test, Jude?" Lance asked, already aware of Jude's answer.

"Only if you are, Lance!"

"Great. Now let's give this crowd a show to remember!"

 _…_

Jude was whimpering in his sleep. The sound of it caused Lucy to wake up, taking a moment to try and figure out what woke her. She turned her head to Jude to see that there were tears coming down his unconscious face, and he was shaking. _He must be having a nightmare_ she thought, looking him over, trying to think of a way to calm him down. Lucy briefly considered waking him, but after seeing what time it was decided against it. _It's too early to wake him up…what should I do…?_

 _…_

The battle had reached its climax. Both Jude and Lance were down to one Pokémon each, Lance's Charizard versus Infernostar. Lance was commanding Charizard to stay in the sky, only occasionally swooping down to swipe at Infernostar. Jude was giving Infernostar the order to stand his ground, waiting for the perfect moment to dodge and counter each move. It looked like the fight was even until both Lance and Jude called out a single move each.

"Charizard! Fire Blast!"

"Infernostar! Supernova!"

Supernova wasn't an actual move, so calling that caused the crowd to garner several confused responses to that statement. At least, that's what it started as, until they saw what Jude meant for Infernostar to do. While Lance's Charizard unleashed the Fire Blast, Infernostar was generating a highly-concentrated ball of fire between his paws.

The Fire Blast soon landed, a direct hit on Infernostar. Despite this, he kept his focus and was even still holding the ball of fire in his paws. Once the flames died down around him, Infernostar looked up at Lance's Charizard, his face wearing an expression of total confidence. He wound up his arms to launch the Supernova, when…

 _BOOM!_

A massive explosion caused the entire stadium to shake violently. This caused Infernostar to lose his footing right before throwing, causing him to miss Lance's Charizard with the Supernova. Suddenly the announcer for the event grabbed his microphone.

"ATTENTION ALL VIEWERS. The Revolution has reached the Stadium! Please Evacuate Immediately! I repeat EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"

Jude froze on the spot when he heard that, seeing the entire crowd dissolve into madness, people running in a frenzy to try and escape. He saw Lance call his Charizard down, who he quickly mounted and took off on.

 _Oh god…It's happening_ Jude took a moment to focus himself. He ran over to the side of the stadium, grabbing the camera that was recording the event and shutting it off. He quickly pulled out the DVD it was saving the match onto and took off running, calling Infernostar to follow him.

"Shit. Shit. SHIT. SHIT!" He said, running back into the room he was in before the match. Quickly he called out the rest of his team, who stood around him in a circle. He tried to keep calm as he reached under the table in the room, pulling out a large backpack and strapping it on.

"Guys…This is it. I hoped this day wouldn't come…But it has…" Jude was trying his hardest not to just break down and cry. Both him and his team were aware that the Revolution could one day intervene in their lives, and as such developed their last resort plan. He strapped the backpack around his waist and looked at his team, each one with tears in their eyes.

"I don't want to have to say this…But I have to…Please be safe, all of you." Jude said, looking around at each of them. "You guys are the best family I could hope to ask for...Which is why…It hurts to say goodbye…" Jude couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence after that, finally breaking down himself, tears flowing down his face. That was when he felt a sudden, warm embrace. He opened his eyes to see it was Infernostar, who had tears streaming down his face as well. Soon after Baron, Alucard, Current, Artemis, and Cordelia joined them as well, as they all stood in embrace, crying at the final time they would all be together.

Jude didn't want to leave their embrace, but he knew he had to, otherwise he'd be captured. He slowly broke the embrace, saying one final goodbye before running out the room, leaving the Colosseum and fleeing into the woods.

 _…_

Jude started whimpering in his sleep again, this time practically vibrating. Lucy wanted to help him, and was racking her brain to think of a way to. _Let's see…I think that my mother used to do this to me when I was younger…_ Lucy leaned her head down to Jude's, and started to gently lick his face. After a few licks, he started to quiet down, eventually stopping the whimpering. "It's ok. Everything will be alright." Lucy quietly said in-between licks. Soon his body stopped vibrating, and the tears stopping falling. He rubbed his head against Lucy's body, a faint smile showing on his face.

 _There we go. Much better_ Lucy thought, sitting still so he wouldn't be disturbed. She watched as his head was lightly lifted up and down from her breathing, the smile still on his face. She guessed that he was probably listening to her heartbeat, as she recalled doing the same thing with her own mother when she was younger and had nightmares.

 _With my…Own…Mother? Did I just imagine myself as Jude's mother?_ Lucy decided not to continue that thought, instead putting her head down and going back to sleep.

 _…_

Soon the morning came, with light filtering in from a nearby window onto the two of them. Lucy was the first to awaken, taking a moment to adjust her eyes to the brightness. _I should probably get ready for work soon_ She thought, about to get up when she noticed something lying against her. It took her a moment to recognize that it was Jude, still sleeping rather peacefully.

 _Odd, he's usually the early bird of the two of us_. She took a moment to try and decide what to do about him, as he seemed quite content to stay asleep. _Might as well let him sleep_ she thought, carefully moving out of the way so his head would gradually end up on the seat of the couch. She stood up and started to walk over to her room to change, before stopping, and turning to look back at Jude.

 _…_ _I think he'd prefer to be in bed_ she thought, going back over to him, and gently turning him over. She gingerly grabbed the scruff of his Shinx jacket in her mouth, and picked him up off the couch, taking care to not drop him. _He's a bit lighter than I expected_ she thought, as she made her way over to his room and opened the door. She walked inside and carefully laid Jude down in his bed, covering him up with a blanket. She stood there for a moment, looking down at him, before leaning down and lightly kissing his forehead. _He'd probably slap me if he knew about this, but I couldn't help myself_ she thought as she made her way out.

As Lucy walked into her room and began changing into her uniform, the thought of last night lingered in her head. The fact that she had helped Jude sleep was one thing, but the fact that she briefly considered herself his mother, even it if was just for a moment, was an entirely different thing.

"…Do I consider myself Jude's mother?"

 **Sorry if this chapter seemed shorter compared to the last few. Hope you enjoyed it regardless!**

 **Special Thanks to Sky Hooves for the inspiration behind this chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

A few days had passed since then. Jude seemed unaware of the events that occurred that night, and Lucy didn't want to sour his mood by bringing it up. Though the more she thought about that night, the more it seemed to nag at her head.

Today Jude had asked Lucy if it was ok if he went out to get some exercise. He said that he'd gotten too used to working out in his room, and needed a change of scenery. She was hesitant to that idea at first, mentioning he could get jumped by Pokémon if he was all by himself, but he quickly put those worries to rest.

"I'll bring my cell so if things go south I can call you before taking off running." He said. "Besides, I doubt there are many Pokémon that can catch me once I get going. After all, you were struggling to catch me when we first met."

Lucy blushed hearing that statement. She could keep up with Jude just fine…If he was wearing his 50 lbs. backpack. Otherwise he could easily outrun her, she couldn't argue with that. "Alright. I don't have a counter to that. Just be careful out there."

"I'll make sure to, _Mom._ " Jude said that last part sarcastically, rolling his eyes over her concern. Despite the tone in his voice, this caused Lucy spit take the glass of water she was drinking, causing him to start laughing uncontrollably.

"Hey! It's not funny!" She retorted, taking a moment to grab a paper towel and wipe up the mess she'd made. Jude took a second to collect himself before helping her, a slight grin on his face.

Once the mess was all gone, Jude grabbed a few things from his room before heading out. He shoved his cellphone into his pocket, along with one of the few smoke bombs he still had, just in case. Lucy had already headed out to work for the day, so she couldn't stop him from taking it with him.

 _This should be good. Now if I recall, there is a park somewhere near here I can use to exercise_ he thought to himself. Dressed in his usual attire, he stepped out of the house, taking a spare key, and locking the door before heading out. _Let's see…To the left is where it should be_ he thought, turning before continuing down the street.

After walking for a bit, Jude rounded a corner and wound up bumping into someone. The force of the impact pushed the two of them back a bit, as he took a moment to apologize. "O-Oh, sorry about that" He said, making sure the other individual was all right. It turned out he had bumped into a Skarmory, and a rather small one at that. It was wearing a light grey dress, and was looking at him with a strange expression. He hurriedly walked past, not wanting to make things worse for himself, and continued on his way.

 _…_ _Was that...?_

Soon Jude arrived at the park, and took a moment to take in what he saw. To his left, he saw a playground where a few Pokémon, and a few human kids were playing. Much to Jude's chagrin he noticed right away that the humans were all dressed as infants. To his right, he noticed a tennis court, and far past that there was a golf course. In between each was a concrete walkway that connected back to the streets.

"Hmm…What can I use here…Ah, that works!" He said, focusing on something. It was a pullup bar, located a bit off to the side of the playground. Jude walked over to it and took a moment to examine it. It was rather worn, but looked stable enough to support him. Wanting to test it he jumped up and grabbed the bar before doing a pullup as a test.

"Seems to hold just fine. Now for the fun part." He said to himself. Jude used his arms to lift himself over the bar before putting his legs over top of it. He let go with his hands and let himself fall backwards, holding his body on the bar with the back of his knees. He got a few strange looks from the other people there, but they soon turned to impressed looks once he started his routine. Putting both of his hands on the back of his head, he started to do reverse situps, using his back muscles to pull his upper body over the bar.

"1…2…3…" He counted to himself as he worked. This was one of the hardest techniques he had learned, and as such he had a much lower goal than usual this time, with it being only 25 as opposed to his usual 100. Some of the children on the playground stopped to watch him in awe, impressed he was able to push himself so much.

"13…14…15…" Sweat was starting to form on Jude's forehead, which was to be expected. He knew this meant he was doing this correctly, and wanted to hit his target number before stopping. Jude closed his eyes to help him concentrate, pushing his body as hard as he could without breaking it. "24…25!" With that Jude dropped his upper body down, taking a moment to breath as he hung on the bar.

"Whew…Not bad for a start…" Jude grabbed the bar and flipped off of it, landing on his feet, still breathing heavily. He wiped some of the sweat off of his forehead and stretched his back, making sure to not let it stiffen from the exercise.

"Alright, that was a good warmup…Now what to do next…" Jude contemplated the next step of his routine, when he heard multiple loud voices behind him. He turned around to see that it was a group of Pokémon, all of which seemed to be pushing strollers. His expression turned to one of nausea once he recognized that there were human children in them, each one dressed more juvenilely than the last. Thought one strange thing he noticed, was that one of the strollers was empty.

 _Oh gross. Let's just ignore them and continue_ He thought to himself, spreading his legs out to start yoga. Unfortunately for him, he noticed that the Pokémon were looking over at him, giggling with one another. _Jeez, why can't anyone mind their damn business in this city_ he thought before hearing one of them speak.

"Oh, look at that one! He's so adorable, trying to act all tough, exercising by himself." One of them, a Blissey, said, causing the other Pokémon to giggle. Another one of them, a Tangrowth, responded with "Such a tough little guy, he looks like he could use some company!", sending another wave of giggles through them.

Hearing that last part, Jude took out his cell and quickly texted a message to Lucy, saying he might need her to come by if he didn't send another message soon. He turned to face the Pokémon mothers, his eyes burning red with anger. "Mind saying that to my FACE?!" He said bitterly, causing some of them to look at each other in shock.

After a few seconds, one of the other mothers, a Wigglytuff, stepped forward with her stroller. Jude could see there was a human girl inside of it, dressed in a pink onesie, her hair in pigtails, a pacifier in her mouth, and most likely diapered. "Such a young child should not behave so rudely to their elders. You need to learn some manners. Where are your parents?" They asked him.

"Why should I bother telling you? Y'all are the ones who have been harassing me. Just who do you think you are anyway?!" Jude sneered at them, his eyes still red. The only one that hadn't said anything yet, a Goodra, spoke up in response.

"We young one, are the Mothers United for Proper Infant Care. And you, have been very disrespectful to us. Girls, I think proper punishment is in order." The other mothers nodded their heads in agreement, as three of them left their strollers in the care of the Wigglytuff. Jude had never heard of that name until now, but just based on the name he guessed it was bad news for someone like him. He took a wild guess at what they were planning to do, and immediately took off running.

 _Like I'd even give you the chance_ Jude thought, taking a moment to look behind him as he continued running. To his surprise, he wasn't that far ahead of the other three, who were quickly gaining. _Dammit, if I wasn't tired out from exercise I'd be long gone from here_. Jude rushed to the sidewalk by the street, and rounded the corner into an alley. He saw a wooden fence blocking off the other side, but that didn't stop him. Jude leapt into the fence and pulled himself up and over it

"Phew. I think I lost them." Jude said to himself, taking a moment to lean against the side of the fence. He was about to pull out his phone to text Lucy when a thought crossed his mind. _I may have lost them, but for all I know they haven't given up_. He decided to send a new message to Lucy, giving another heads up about heading down if he didn't respond in a reasonable amount of time.

"Well, I might as well head back. I just hope I don't have to deal wit-HMMPH!" Jude was suddenly cut off as vines wrapped around his mouth. He struggled to pull them off with his hands, but more vines soon constricted his arms to his sides. He tried to shake them off, but soon he was completely immobilized by the vines, as he saw the Pokémon from before walk up to him, the Tangrowth controlling the vines.

"Thought you got away from us, hmm? Well, while most people would turn a rude child like you over to the HAA, we have a better idea." The Goodra said to Jude, who was still struggling. "Susan, bring him back to Annabel so we can get him into something more suitable for a little one like him." She said to the Tangrowth, who lifted him into the air. Realizing what that meant, Jude only struggled more in the vines, but to no avail.

Soon the 3 of them had brought Jude back to their strollers, where the Wigglytuff was waiting. The Tangrowth, Susan, used her vines to keep Jude pinned to the ground as they surrounded him on all sides, using their strollers to block him from view. "Now, let's get our newest little one into a much more comfortable outfit" The Goodra said, as the Wigglytuff got out an outfit from the back of one of the strollers. Jude was still struggling to try and break free of the vines, but all that succeeded in doing was making Susan tighten the vines hold on him.

The four of them started to undress Jude. The Wigglytuff removed his shoes and socks while the Blissey started working on his pants. Susan loosened the grip on the vines just enough to allow the Goodra to take Jude's jacket off, and pull off his shirt. Jude tried to scream in protest, but the vines around his mouth muffled it to the point that it was barely louder than a whisper.

"Don't worry little one. Soon we will have you nice and cozy in your own little onesie, and secured snugly in a stroller for a ride. Doesn't that sound like fun?" The Goodra said to the still struggling Jude, an evil smile on its face. Jude was at this point almost completely naked, with just his underwear left on his body. But soon even that was removed, leaving him stark naked between the four of them.

"Oh my, I think someone needs a diapee, don't you agree Beth?" The Goodra asked the Blissey, who nodded in agreement. Jude's face was red with a mixture of embarrassment and rage, as he continued to struggle despite being completely naked. Beth quickly grabbed a rather thick diaper from her stroller and slipped it under Jude's rear before taping it shut around him. It immediately spread Jude's legs apart from each other, making it impossible to put them together.

"That's better, but I still think our new baby needs a onesie. Right Martha?" Beth asked the Goodra. "Oh of course Beth. Why don't you do the honors?" Martha responded. Beth put the onesie in her hands on display for everyone, including Jude, to see. It was a bright red onesie, with a small little ember on the stomach area. Susan lifted Jude a little bit off of the ground so Beth could put the onesie on him, though she was still having difficulty as a result of his constant struggling.

"Here, allow me to make this easier." Martha said, stepping towards Jude, who was flailing wildly. Susan rotated him so his stomach was facing the ground, as Martha put one of her legs under him. _You ain't doing SHIT to me, you motherfu_

 _THWACK!_ Jude's thought was interrupted as he felt a sharp pain on his rear. He was shocked when he realized what had just happened, stopping his struggling. "Naughty little babies need to be punished, and for misbehaving, they need a good spanking." Martha said, as she continued to spank him. _THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!_ With each hit, Jude reeled in pain from it, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

By the time Martha had finished, Jude's rear was burning, and tears were streaming down his face. He'd stopped struggling, not wanted it to continue, as he hung his head in defeat. Seizing the opportunity, Beth opened up the onesie and quickly forced Jude into it, shoving each of his limbs into their corresponding sleeves. Once he was in she quickly snapped the folds over his crotch area shut, and zipped the back of the onesie up.

Taking a second to feel the new clothing, Jude realized that the onesie had mittens for his hands, as he couldn't freely move his fingers save for his thumb. He was about to question why that was the case when he felt the vines around his face loosen up. He took this opportunity to take in a deep breath, as he opened his mouth to scream, but was cut off when a pacifier was jammed into his mouth. Jude tried to spit it out, but couldn't, noticing that Susan was attaching a strap to the back of his head to keep it in his mouth.

"There we go, that should help out little baby calm down" Susan said, using her vines to hold up Jude. The Pokémon took a moment to coo and giggle at him, causing his face to turn red. "Aww, he's so cute!" "He looks so much better in a onesie." "Who's adorable? You are! Yes, you are!"

"Alright ladies, what say we take our newest family member with us on a walk through the park?" Martha said, getting the other Pokémon's attention. They all nodded their heads in agreement, as each of them grabbed their strollers. Susan turned her empty stroller around and set Jude down inside of it. He tried to use this opportunity to get the pacifier out of his mouth, but he couldn't grasp the strap at the back of his head with the mittens on his hands. Not that it helped anyway, as Susan grabbed his arms and put them at his sides before strapping him into the stroller.

"Can't have you falling out now, can we my little one?" She said as she clicked it closed. Jude tried to move his body, but found he couldn't even move his arms the straps were so tight on him. All he could do was sit in the stroller, his new onesie doing nothing to hide the massive bulge his diaper showed off. He huffed with frustration behind the pacifier, his eyes red with anger, embarrassment, and humiliation over his current predicament.

 _God FUCKING DAMMIT. I try to have a nice, NORMAL day of exercise, and everything goes south!_ Jude thought. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to beat the shit out of these Pokémon for doing this to him, but he realized that none of those were options for him. Well, crying still was one, but it wouldn't make the situation any better. He sighed as he tried to think of a way out of this mess, but nothing came to him. Just one thought lingered in his head for how he'd escape.

 _Lucy, please hurry…_

 **Well, looks like someone is in one hell of a mess, huh? I hope things go well for him...Wait a minute, I'm the writer!**

 **Thanks to Mr. B22 for the inspiration behind this chapter, and its followup(s).**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22:**

It'd been over an hour since Lucy had gotten the last text from Jude. _I should probably head down there. I need to make sure nothing happened to him_. She stood up from her desk at the office, and was about to make her way out of the room, when one of the other officers dropped a stack of paperwork onto her desk.

"Officer Sparks! We got a report of a trainer and his electric-type partner out on the run, and we need your assistance in filling out the paperwork." The Pokémon saying that was a Pinsir, as he turned around to bring the other Officers around the office info on the case.

 _Shoot. I need to get this done, but I don't want to just leave him out there if he needs hope._ She considered putting it off until later, but was stopped when she heard the Pinsir, Officer Staghorn, mention the case was 'Priority #1'. _Oh great. If its top priority, I can't leave this for later_ She thought, grabbing the top sheet of the stack, and putting it in front of her. _I'm just gonna have to burn through it_.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Oh, can I get a closer look at your baby? He's just so cute!"

"Of course! Just be careful, he's in a grumpy mood after waking up from his nap!"

Jude groaned behind the pacifier in his mouth as he heard that. Throughout the walk in the park there had been a multitude of Pokémon that had stopped the four mothers to coo at their babies, and unfortunately, a large amount of them wanted to look at him. Apparently these four had done this several times in the past, and since he was the newest 'member of the family', Pokémon wanted to see him the most.

Jude had picked up on a few things about the mothers as the walk progressed. Apparently, the other kids they had were Tiffany, Annabel's "Little Tiff-Tiff", Sally, Beth's "Bundle of Joy", and Emile, Martha's "Precious Cinnamon Bun". Susan had yet to properly adopt a child of her own, but was practicing being with the other mothers to help give her experience. That was why her stroller was empty when he first encountered them.

He'd also learned that each of the other kids are in practically the same situation he was in, with the difference being that they were all legally adopted by the mothers. They all used to be extremely against being babied, but were forced into it regardless. Nowadays, the other kids don't even attempt to fight back, too afraid of being punished. Each one pretty much kept completely silent, acting like, well actual infants.

Jude would fight back if he could, but the events that had already transpired form today had completely worn him out. His exercise routine was enough of a strain on his body, but add the amount of time he struggled in Susan's vines, and the pain in his rear from the spanking he'd received earlier, and he was exhausted. So, for now he was playing it safe and keeping quiet, trying not to draw attention to himself.

At the moment, the four mothers had reached a fountain and were stopping to take a break. "Alright ladies, I think our precious little babies need to be fed." Martha said, pulling out a bottle before unstrapping Emile from his stroller. The other mothers followed her example, with Beth and Annabel pulling Tiffany and Sally out of their strollers and cradling them in their arms. Susan turned Jude's stroller around before unbuckling him from the seat and picking him up, using her vines to keep him close to his chest. He contemplated trying to struggle but quickly realized she had a strong hold on him, so he was going nowhere anytime soon.

"Alright little one, drink up." Susan said to him, as she showed a bottle of milk to him. He was about to question how they would try and convince him to drink it once the pacifier came off, when she did something unexpected. She flicked the end of the pacifier that was sticking out open like a cap, before shoving the bottle into the newly opened hole.

Not wanting to make a fuss to make his predicament worse, Jude started to suck on his pacifier, drinking the milk from the bottle. This caused Susan to squeal in delight as she started to rock him back and forth. "That's a good little baby. You need to drink your milk to grow up big and strong!" She cooed at him. He tried to ignore her as he used this opportunity to look at the other kids. He could see Tiffany being nursed by Annabel, her pigtails bobbing up and down. Beth was feeding Beth, who he could see had short brown hair, and was wearing a pink baby romper. Over to his left he saw Emile, who was wearing a baby blue t-shirt and a bonnet, being fed by Martha. He noticed that each one of them had the same pacifier strap over them as Jude, so he wasn't alone on that front either.

Every so often a few Pokémon would pass by the four mothers, stopping to coo and giggle at their children. Jude kept his eyes away from them, trying to avoid eye contact with any passersby. Soon he finished the bottle, which Susan removed from the pacifier and closed the cap on it. Though to his surprise, she suddenly removed the pacifier from his mouth before putting him up against her shoulder. He was trying to figure out why she would do that, when she started to pat his back.

 _What is she_ he thought before he suddenly burped loudly. "BRAP". Jude's face turned red with embarrassment as the other mothers turned to look at him. "Good job Susan! You are a natural at this sort of thing" Annabel said. Susan turned to her and smiled before bringing Jude back down, shoving the pacifier back into his mouth while he was still stunned. "Thanks" she said as she reattached the strap to the back of his head.

 _She…She just fucking burped me!_ Jude thought. _I can't even recall my own mother doing that to me_. He tried to keep himself calm as Susan strapped him back into the stroller, but that thought just lingered in his head. _What the fuck have I gotten myself into_?

"You may be ready to adopt a child of your own soon if you keep at it Susan." Martha said. "Oh, I'm flattered Martha! Though I had a bit of an idea." Susan responded, putting the baby bottle back in its holder on the stroller. "This little one doesn't seem to have any parents. Maybe once we finish up I can adopt him!"

Jude, upon hearing that statement, started flailing wildly. _NO FUCKING WAY. I AM NOT LETTING A FREAK LIKE YOU ADOPT ME_. His flailing caused the stroller to start shaking, catching the attention of the mothers. "Uh oh, it looks like our newest family member is upset. Perhaps a _spanking_ will keep him in line." Martha said, causing Jude to freeze up. _Oh God, please not again_ he thought, not daring to move after hearing that threat.

"Good, it appears as though he has calmed down." Martha said, turning to Susan again. "I think it's a wonderful idea to adopt this little one. Then we will all have our own darling little angels to take care of. Though we still need a name for him." Susan pondered that question as the rest of the mothers strapped their children back into their respective strollers.

"Let's see…how about Tom?" She said, as they all lined up horizontally and started walking again. "That's a great name! Soon you will have little Tommy all to yourself!" Beth responded with glee, causing the others to giggle.

Jude shuddered as his listened to their conversing over Susan adopting him. His eyes were red, but they were filled with a new emotion. Not anger, not sadness, not embarrassment, but fear. He was terrified of the idea that he'd be stuck with one of them, forcibly treated like a mindless infant. _Dear God, please let Lucy find me before it's too late_ he thought as the mothers continued down the walkway.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Finally! Done." Lucy wiped the sweat off of her forehead. The paperwork for this case was a nightmare, but she had just finished the last of it. _A case for a runaway trainer and his Pikachu, this really shouldn't have needed so much paperwork_ she thought as she checked the clock.

"Oh god, it's been that long!? I need to get down there, fast!" Lucy quickly grabbed her supplies from her desk and walked out into the hallway, passing by her boss's office as she headed for the exit. _Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap_ she repeated in her head as she left the building and started towards the park.

Lucy was about to break into a full blown run towards the park, when she accidentally ran into another Pokémon. It was a Crobat, wearing a dark green shirt with black pants, albeit both being rather small. "My apologies." She said as she hurried past him, at this point running to get the park. _Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok._

 _Meanwhile…_

"Ladies, we've been out for a while now. Why don't we head home for the day?" Annabel asked the mothers. "Sure, we can set down our children for a nap while we get some work done. Plus, this will be great experience for Susan" Beth responded, causing the mothers to start giggling again.

Jude was shivering in fear when he heard that. _If they take me home, Lucy won't be able to find me_. He wanted to do something, ANYTHING to try and break free, but he was trapped. Tears started to well up in his eyes as he tried to keep himself from breaking down. That was when he felt a sudden twinge in his crotch. _…Don't you DARE_ he thought as his priorities shifted, now trying to keep his bladder in check.

"Then its agreed. Let's go take our little darlings home. Maybe after their nap we can start filling out the paperwork for you to adopt little Tommy." Martha said, as the mothers giggled again. With that they started to head home, Jude now juggling three thoughts in his head. Trying not to cry, controlling his bladder, and not freaking out over what was happening.

 _If they try to adopt me, I am going to scream until they stop_ Jude thought. He felt another twitch down in his crotch area, causing him to try and press his legs together to hold it in. _Oh no, I don't think I can hold this in for long_. He was trying his best to keep it in, at least until they got home, but it didn't help that the mothers would stop frequently to let passing Pokémon view their children.

Well, it wasn't pretty, but they soon arrived at the mothers home. It was a rather large 1 story flat, which they all seemed to share. Jude was fidgeting in the stroller, desperately trying to hold it in, despite it being a hopeless battle.

"Ah, home sweet home. Now let's put our bundles of joy down for a nap." Susan said, as one of them opened the door. One by one they rolled their children inside, Susan entering last. Jude was about to sigh with relief that they had at least gotten in without an accident, when the stroller hit a bump in the doorframe. The sudden lurch caught Jude off guard, and was the final nail in the coffin for his bladder. With that, he started to wet his diaper, causing his face to turn bright red.

 _Oh…my…God._ That was the last straw for Jude. Tears started streaming down his face as he continued to relief himself. _I-I….I…_

Ok ladies, you know what to do." Martha said. They were all standing in the main entrance of their home, each one unstrapping their child from the stroller. On the left side were the main bedrooms for the mothers, with two of them in each. On the right side, they had a kitchen in the back corner, and another room closed off right next to them.

"Oh, seems little Tommy had himself an accident" Susan said, noticing a wet spot on the bulge of Jude's onesie. She scooped him up and cradled him in her arms, shhing him so he would stop crying. "Don't worry little Tommy, all babies do it. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

 _Easy for YOU to say, you aren't the one forced to do this!_ Jude didn't even bother trying to stop the tears from falling, he didn't care about that. Here he was, the Lone Ranger, former professional battler, wetting himself in a diaper like a goddamn newborn. He was ashamed of himself for letting this happen, and stopping his crying was the last thing on his mind.

"Why don't you get him changed while we help get the others settled, Susan" Beth said, cradling Sally. Susan opened the door to the right of the entrance and walked inside. Unsurprisingly, the room was a nursery, with 4 large cribs on the left side, and 4 changing tables on the right. Susan carried Jude over to one of the tables and laid him down. She undid the snaps at the crotch of his onesie and opened it up. Soon she had him out of the onesie, his diaper on full display.

"Don't worry, I'll get you into something much more comfortable in just a moment" She said as she got to work. Jude just put his head to the side, sucking on his pacifier as he tried to calm down.

 _…_ _Where the Fuck is Lucy?!_

 _Meanwhile…_

It had been a solid ½ an hour since Lucy had arrived at the park, and she'd seen neither hide nor hair of Jude. She had tried both texting and calling him, but there was no response with either. She'd asked around as well to see if anyone had seen what had happened to him, and while some did say they saw him, they didn't know where he went.

"This is bad. Really bad. I'm going to have to take drastic measures." Lucy took out her cell, dialed a number, and put it up to her ear. Soon she heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"Officer Sparks? What appears to be the problem?"

"Captain Stark, I am requesting a search party. My son has gone missing."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23:**

"There we go. All better!" Susan said cheerfully. Jude was now in a fresh diaper, after having been thoroughly wiped down, and covered with an extremely generous amount of baby powder. He was now sitting in a dark blue onesie, this one with arm and leg sleeves with red mittens and booties at the ends of them. The color scheme of the onesie made him look like a smaller Tangrowth, much to Susan's joy.

 _How many damn onesies do these Pokémon have?!_ Jude thought as she snapped the crotch area shut. She wrapped her vines around him and gently lifted him off of the changing table, before carrying him over to the cribs.

The other moms had already changed their children and set them down in their respective cribs. Jude noticed that each one of them was wearing a onesie, and they made them look alarmingly similar to their parents. Tiffany and Sally were both wearing pink onesies, Tiffany's having a white area around her chest while Sally's had bits of white all over it. Emile had on a light purple onesie with green dots around the sides and a darker chest area.

Susan set Jude down in the crib on the far right, as the mothers took a step back to admire their work. "They are all so adorable! The matching onesies was a brilliant idea Martha!" Annabel squeed. The mothers starting cooing at their children, in particular their new addition. "He's a bit feisty compared to our other children, but I'm sure that's just nerves from moving into a new place" Martha commented.

Jude wanted to protest, but at the same time he didn't want to make this situation any worse than it already was. He just kept still, sucking on his pacifier like the others, staring up at the ceiling. Sadly, this just made the mothers giggle as they continued to look at them.

"I don't know, I think he's settled down quite nicely! You may have the calmest one of them all Susan. You are so lucky!" Annabel said. "Thank you, Annabel. And once I fill out the proper paperwork, little Tommy will be a permanent addition to our family!" Susan exclaimed happily.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to work with that, on the double!" Beth replied. The mothers nodded their heads in agreement, and took a moment to tuck in their respective child to bed. Susan kissed Jude on his forehead and said "Sweet dreams, my little Tom-Tom. By this time tomorrow, you will be a permanent part of our family." They each waved goodbye before stepping out and locking the door, giggling all the way.

Once he was sure they were gone, Jude immediately sat up, and tried to fiddle with the pacifier. He fumbled with the strap keeping it in place, the mittens on his onesie making it almost impossible to grab. After struggling with it for a while, he was unable to take it off, and snorted in anger as a result. _FUCK. I have been tormented, mistreated, physically abused, and emotionally scared. I have to get out of here, ASAP, before they get the chance to continue._

Jude reached up and tried to grab onto the top of the bars of his crib. The mittens made it difficult to get a grip, but he still tried it regardless. He stood up and tried to lift himself over the bars, but soon lost his grip, falling back down. He let out a muffled cry into the pacifier before hearing a tapping sound. He turned around to see that it was the other kids, all of which were staring at him. Tiffany was on the end, then Emile, and then Sally was right beside him. Sally shook her head when he looked at her, pointing up at the bars.

Jude ignored her and tried to lift himself up again, once again falling back down onto his padded rear. He turned his head towards them again to see that they were all shaking their heads, and pointing at the top of their cribs.

That was when he noticed their eyes. Sally's eyes were a dark brown, and gave off the feeling of sadness. Tiffany had light blue eyes, which were filled with fear, and Emile had light brown eyes, giving off a feeling of panic. Jude stopped for a moment to think about the emotions from each of them, when it hit him.

 _They're just as afraid as I am about this whole thing. But they are too afraid to fight back_.

Jude decided to test this with a bit of an experiment. He scooted over to the bars of his crib next to Sally, and started tapping on the bars. _Let's see if anyone else speaks my language._ After tapping for a few seconds, he sat there and waited, before seeing Sally tap in response. _Oh, thank God, someone else that knows_ he thought.

The tapping Jude had done was Morse Code. He'd sent a simple message, "Hello?" He'd heard that a lot of other humans used it to communicate when they were hiding out in the cities. Jude picked up Morse Code long before the Revolution, thinking it might prove useful. To his relief, that trust was not misplaced, as Sally responded to his message.

"Hello." She said. He quickly started tapping another response as the two struck up a conversation.

"My name is Jude."

"Hi Jude, my name is Jessie." Seemed Jude wasn't the only one the mothers were keen on calling by their own name. He guessed that both Tiffany and Emile had different names as well.

"Can they talk?"

"They don't speak Morse Code. Unfortunately." Jude sighed when he interpreted that. It must have been hard for the three of them, not being able to effectively communicate between one another.

"Escape?" Jude tapped out that message and waited, sucking on his pacifier while Jessie responded.

"No Escape."

Jude refused to accept that last statement. His expression changed to one of anger as he started to make another message.

"That's quitter talk!" The message took Jessie aback, as she looked up at Jude in shock.

"I'm not going to let them win. I have no intention of being adopted by those freaks. I already have a family."

"That won't stop them. It didn't for us."

"Excuse me?"

"I was the first one they adopted. They caught me as I was on the run from another foster family. I was forced to agree to this treatment, and was forced to agree to the adoption when they brought in the papers."

Jude was stunned. _How far would these monsters go for children?_ He thought as she continued.

"Apparently, I wasn't the first. They'd tried to adopt children in the past, but each time the child either refused to be adopted, or ran away. That was when there was only one of them."

 _One of them?!_

"Back then it was just Martha. But she one day formed the MUPIC to manage any child she adopted. Or the better term, to keep them as helpless infants with zero chance of escape."

 _Good God. It's a prison for children_ Jude thought. Now more than ever he needed to get out of here, but he had a new rule. Get out with everyone else.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lucy had assembled a team of HAA Officers. They were all standing outside of HQ, with her giving the run down of their objective.

"I've gathered you all here for a special reason. The Lone Ranger has gone missing." There were murmurs among the officers, no doubt them being reminded of how difficult it was to catch him last time. "However, he didn't leave on his own accord" She continued, snapping the attention back to her.

"He was kidnapped. Now how would I know something like this? Well…" Lucy gestured to Officer Nox, who brought over Jude's backpack and set it down in front of the officers. "He didn't take this with him. Knowing the Lone Ranger, if he wanted to run away, he'd have taken this. It carries all of his personal belongings, and the tools that he used when he was living out in the wilderness."

"How do we know that he didn't have friends who helped him escape?" One of the officers asked.

"…We call him Lone Ranger for a reason. He doesn't have any allies in this city to turn to, at least that he is aware of." Lucy pulled out the photograph they had of Jude, and held it up. "This is what he looks like. Though knowing this city it's likely the clothes he has on have been swapped out." Officer Nox and Officer Vice both had handed out copies of Jude's pictures to the officers, who were each taking a thorough look at them.

"We will be splitting off into teams of three and scouring the city for him. It's extremely unlikely that he has left the city, but we have called in other patrols to watch the roads out. Anyone that finds any information on his whereabouts, please report it immediately. Any questions?"

None of the officers said a word at that, which Lucy took as a good sign.

"Excellent. Now let's move out!"

 _Meanwhile…_

As Jude and Jessie continued their silent talk, he started to understand more about this place. From what he learned, Jessie, Emile, and Tiffany had all tried separately to escape from this place, with varying results each time. Jessie had managed to break out through the window, resulting in the mothers installing wooden bars over the windows. Emile was able to lift himself out of the cribs and attempted to get out through the main door, resulting in them greasing the bars of the cribs and always making sure they had mittens on when in their cribs. Tiffany had it the worst of the three, after yelling her lungs out she'd managed to get people to investigate the home, but she was already silenced by the time it had happened. That was the reason for the pacifiers secured in their mouths, so they couldn't try and pull that stunt again.

Jude asked why they kept referring to them by different names, and got a pretty disturbing answer for that as well. Since they weren't able to speak for themselves, the mothers could essentially mask their identities, allowing them to do whatever they pleased with them until they filled out the paperwork to adopt them. Plus, they'd be adopting them under the fake name they'd created, so no one would be the wiser if they tried to consult their backgrounds. So, to everyone except them, they were now Tiffany, Sally, Emile, and now Tommy, the adopted babies of the Mothers United for Proper Infant Care.

Jude wanted to press for a few more answers when they heard steps from outside the door. Jessie hurriedly tapped a message to him while motioning to Emile and Tiffany. "They're coming back! Quick, pretend to be asleep!" Not wanting to find out why he should do that, Jude laid back down in his crib, covering himself in the blanket and closing his eyes. He heard the door lock click, as it opened up, the sound of footsteps drawing close. He tried not to flinch when he felt vines wrap around his body, lifting him out of the crib.

Susan quietly carried Jude out of the nursery into the main room, before heading over to the kitchen. "I brought him." She said quietly, using her vines to hold him up. "Aww, he's dreaming." "He looks so cute asleep like that." "Quickly, let's do this before he wakes up."

Jude wasn't sure what was happening, but he felt one of the mothers grab his hand, and lightly press it against something. _What are they…?_ He thought before his hand was raised up, and his fingers were pushed down firmly on a sheet of paper. _Wait a minute…Are they taking my prints?!_ Jude wanted to struggle, but knew that'd tip them off that he was awake. He didn't see anyway out of this, so he just continued to pretend sleep, sucking on his pacifier to make it seem more convincing.

Soon the process was repeated with his other hand, and the mothers had both sets of Jude's prints. "And there we go. We just need to fill out the rest of the information, and little Tommy will be all ours" Beth said excitedly. "Yep. Susan will finally have a baby to call her own!" Annabel squeed with delight. "I'm so excited! Though I wonder, what would we do now that we all have one?" Susan asked, rocking Jude back and forth in her arms. "The answer is simple of course. We look for more Pokémon who agree with us on how our precious little babies should be treated, and ask for them to join us. That way we can expand the MUPIC, and the number of babies we can take care of!"

Jude almost had a heart attack hearing that, and was trying his absolute hardest not to show that he'd heard that. Sucking on the pacifier managed to keep him from outright screaming, and it helped calm him down so they couldn't see him react. He felt Susan move again, and heard the sound of a door being opened. Soon he felt the vines holding him lower him back into his crib, the blanket being pulled over him once more. He felt a pat on his head and another kiss from Susan, who said "I'm so excited! Soon you will be all mine!" gleefully, before closing the door and locking it.

After making sure they were gone, everyone sat back up in their cribs and looked at one another to make sure everyone was all right. Jude started tapping a message immediately to Jessie, a look of panic on his face. "We have a serious problem."

"What is it?"

"They don't plan on stopping with just the four of us. They plan on increasing the size of the MUPIC, so they can adopt more kids to baby." Jessie's eyes widened when she interpreted that.

"What can we do about that?"

"I don't know, but we need to think of something. I don't want anyone else to be forced into the same mess we're in." Jude sighed with that last message. He wanted to stop them, but given what he'd learned about this place, it was designed to be not just baby-proof, but human-proof.

 _We have to get out of here…But how can we do that when they have us cornered?_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

The rest of the day after that Jude spent carefully observing everything inside of the home. After being awoken from their nap, they were all strapped to high-chairs and spoon-fed dinner. It was the only time they actually took their pacifiers off of their mouths, but there was not a second to scream, as they had a spoon full of baby mush forced in their mouths immediately. Jude in particular struggled with this part, almost throwing up the first time it entered his mouth. Eventually he was able to swallow the stuff, but not without having some serious regrets about doing so.

At one point, there was a knock on the door from the HAA. They mentioned that they were searching for a lost boy, but were quickly sent away by Martha. She said she had four starving babies to feed and they were causing a disturbance with their presence. Jude was happy to see that Lucy had formed a search party to try and find him, but soul crushed with how easily they were turned away. He almost tried to say something to get their attention, but was quickly stopped when another spoonful of mush found its way in his mouth.

Soon after dinner, it was playtime. The four of them were dropped into a rather large playpen and left to their own devices, pacifiers resecured in their mouths. The playpen was spacious, but it was also really tall, too high to climb out of. For the most part the four of them just sat around and did nothing during that time, as there wasn't anything that any of them would actually find fun. There was an assortment of blocks, some stuffed animals, and a few plastic instruments strewn across the floor of the pen, but nothing helpful.

At one point both Emile and Tiffany waddled over to the blocks and spelled out two words, which they showed to Jude. _Katie, and Andrew. Good to know._ Jude took a moment himself to grab a few of the blocks and spell out his name for them to see as well. After grabbing the right ones, he showed it to them, who nodded their heads in agreement.

"Aww look, our wittle babies are trying to spell!" They heard from outside the pen. They all looked to see Beth watching them, a glee filled smile on her face. "It's just so precious! After all, not every day do we get to see four adorable babies try to spell!" This sparked the attention of the other moms, who came over and started cooing and making baby talk at them. With the sudden attention on them, no one felt safe actually spelling anymore words, instead deciding it'd be safer to just act like babies and mess with the blocks.

Once that was over it was time for bed. Before then however, all four of them had successfully managed to mess their diaper as a result of dinner. Jude had to concentrate as hard as he could to not cry as a result, but the others seemed used to it. After a cleaning session, they were all newly diapered and prepped for bed. Jude quickly noticed that they were all dressed the same for sleep; a white bonnet tied on their heads, white mittens with yellow ribbons securing them to their hands, and yellow shirts. He felt rather cold in this outfit, and slightly irritated that there was nothing covering his diaper, but that was soon fixed when they were tucked in for the night. Each of them was kissed on the forehead by their respective mother, as they soon exited the room, spinning a mobile above them before turning of the lights and locking the door.

Jude tapped the bars of his crib to see if he could get a response, but no one responded. He guessed that they'd rather sleep than talk, and closed his eyes before trying to sleep.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Dammit. It's been a whole day, and we haven't found a trace of him." Lucy was going over the reports from the patrols today regarding their search for Jude. From what the patrols had seen, no one matching his appearance had left the city, so that was good. But at the same time, they still had no idea where he was, or how to find him.

 _I shouldn't have let him go out by himself. I was afraid this would happen_. She thought before slapping herself. "No. He knew the risk of going out by himself. That didn't stop him. I shouldn't spend time mopping, I should be spending my time trying to find him!" She looked over at the clock and realized that her shift was over, so she decided to call it for tonight.

 _I will not give up until you are safe Jude_ She thought as she headed home, rejuvenated to continue the search tomorrow.

 _The Next Morning_ …

The mothers wasted no time this morning. They quickly woke each of their children, and brought them out into the kitchen for breakfast. More mush was brought out for them to eat, which managed to go without a hitch, despite Jude and Katie's faces getting messy. After wiping them off, they were all changed when the mothers noticed that they had all wet their diapers during breakfast, and then changed into their outfits for the day.

"Today we have a special surprise for all you adorable babies today! But you are going to have to wait awhile for it" Martha said to them, a smile on a face, but no warmth coming from it. Jude and Andrew were both put in matching blue onesies and blue bonnets, while Katie and Jessie were in matching pink ones. They were soon strapped into their strollers, the boys on one side and the girls on the other.

"Alright ladies, let's depart" Martha said, opening the door as they each stepped outside. Once the last of them was out, Annabel locked the door and they started down the street towards the park, as per usual. Jude groaned behind his pacifier as they started to encounter other Pokémon, as once again most of the eyes were on him. He quickly decided that it'd be better to just pretend to be asleep, so he wouldn't have to see all of them, so he closed his eyes and stayed quiet.

Soon the mothers arrived at the park, and started down their normal walking path. "Susan, did you get all the papers filled out?" Beth asked while they walked. "Yep! So, once we get through the surprise today, we can go to the agency and make it official! Little Tommy is almost home for good!" She said, excitement welling in her voice. The mothers continued to giggle as they continued down their walking route, occasionally cooing at their babies.

Occasionally the mothers would attract the attention of HAA officers. Each time they were approached with the same question, if they had encountered a lost boy, but the officers couldn't even finish their statements without being sent away by Martha. She shot them down every time, claiming she'd never seen anyone of the sort, and was just trying to have a relaxing walk with her fellow mothers. The other moms weren't much better, supporting her lies about never seeing any lost children, and claiming the HAA were intruding on them far too much to fret over a single child.

Jude would have tried to respond, if it weren't for the pacifier jammed in his mouth, and the fact that he could barely move. He was strapped in tighter than yesterday, and was also wearing an extra-thick diaper that made it impossible to even try to bring his legs close. _What's with the additional padding today_ he thought to himself, opening his eyes to see where they were. They had taken a pit stop by some restrooms, and the mothers were taking turns bringing their child in with them.

 _Why would they need to take a pitstop? We haven't been out for long, so I doubt anyone had used their diaper_ Jude thought. Then he saw Annabel step out of the bathroom with Katie, and his eyes widened. Katie was wearing a different outfit from before, being back in the Wigglytuff onesie he'd seen from yesterday.

 _Oh joy. They want to have their 'babies' match them._ Just as he predicted, Jessie and Emile were soon taken into the bathrooms, and came out in their Blissey and Goodra onesies. Soon Susan pulled Jude out of his stroller and brought him into the restroom, setting him down on the changing table.

"Hello, my little Tommy! Let's get you changed into your favorite outfit before we get to the big surprise!" Susan said with a smile. She had him out of his blue onesie in seconds, and before he even had the chance to struggle, had hastily put the Tangrowth onesie back on him. She took a moment to snap the crotch area shut, before putting something onto his back.

 _Wait, what was that?_ Jude thought as she picked him up and carried him outside. He tried to reach back for what was stuck to him, but was quickly stopped by Susan. "Ah ah, don't want you to ruin the surprise just yet my little Tom-Tom!" She cooed as she strapped him back in the stroller, preventing him from moving his arms. Realizing he didn't have a choice in the matter, he simply sucked on his pacifier to pass the time instead.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Day 2 of our search begins, NOW" Lucy exclaimed, scrambling the officers before her. She'd called in backup this time to strengthen the search, and wasn't going to stop until she found Jude. _I WILL find him. I MUST._ She thought, taking Officer Nox and Officer Vice with her to search downtown.

"Officer Sparks, you seemed more determined that yesterday. Any reason for the renewed spirit?" Officer Nox asked. "Well, if I were to lose hope after just one day, I'd be doing a horrible job as an Officer. So, I instead opted to double up on the search." She responded. "I have no intention of coming back empty handed. I plan on bringing him home, as soon as physically possible."

Office Nox and Officer Vice looked at each other, then back at her. "We just want you to know, that we are with you every step of the way. You don't have to do this alone." Officer Vice said, making Lucy smile. "Thanks guys, now let's get a move on! Time's a wastin!" With that she quickened her pace, with the other officers keeping up behind her.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Alright little ones! It's almost time for your big surprise!" Martha said as they walked. They had just reached the end of the park's trail, and were crossing over to the sidewalk. Jude was still racking his brain trying to figure out what Susan had put on his back earlier, when they suddenly came to a stop.

 _Wait, why'd we stop again?_ He thought as he saw all the mothers step in front of them. He sucked on his pacifier nervously as they each leaned down and looked at their children.

Without saying a word, they each pulled out a blindfold and covered their baby's eyes. Jude couldn't see a thing through the blindfold, which he guessed was the point, but it was starting to freak him out. Just as he thought things couldn't get much creepier, he felt something being placed over top of his head, covering his ears. Suddenly he couldn't hear anything either, and he realized that they must have put a pair of earmuffs over him.

 _Ok, now this is just getting scary. What kind of a surprise warrants being blinded and deafened?!_ He just kept sucking on his pacifier, trying to keep calm, when he felt the stroller start moving again. _I guess they really don't want to spoil this surprise, whatever it is._ He couldn't do much of anything, so he just tried to keep calm and continued to suck on his paci.

After they continued walking for awhile, the stroller came to a stop. He felt the straps of the stroller unbuckle, as he was picked up from the stroller by Susan. _I guess it's time for the surprise_ he thought, as she started walking. He wasn't sure when the surprise would start, but he did notice that Susan stopped for a moment, and handed Jude to another Pokémon. _Wait, who is this_? He thought as the new Pokémon started carrying him somewhere, eventually coming to a stop. Before he could try to think about what was happening, the Pokémon set him down in something, his legs hanging above the ground.

 _What is this thing?_ Jude thought, as he tried to feel down at what was holding him. From what he could feel, he was sitting inside of a disk supported by what he guessed was bungee cord on each side. Whatever it was made out of, it was holding his diapered butt in place rather snugly, as he couldn't pull himself out, but he wouldn't fall through either.

As he sat there just sucking his pacifier, he felt someone remove the earmuffs from his head. With his hearing restored, he heard the sound of several people running around, many of which were talking amongst themselves. "We're going to be starting soon. Make sure they are all ready to go before curtain, got it?" Someone said. Jude turned his head in the direction of the voice, trying to make out who was talking.

 _I've never heard that voice before_ he thought, before he felt someone removing the blindfold as well. Jude opened his eyes, and took a moment to adjust to the brightness. He was in a large room with a big purple curtain in front of him. Jude looked down to see what exactly he was sitting in, and realized that it was a baby bouncer. He noticed as well that to his left was Katie, and to his right was Andrew, both of which were in their own personal baby bouncers. He leaned forward to see that going down either side, there were other kids in baby bouncers, dressed similarly to them. He noticed that Jessie was seated next to Katie, as the four of them looked around to try and figure out where they were, still sucking on their pacifiers.

 _What the hell kind of a place is this?!_ He thought, as he heard a voice come out from an intercom. "Ladies, and Gentleman! It is my great pleasure, to welcome you, to the 1st official Big Baby Pageant!"

 _Wait, WHAT?!_

"And now, please turn your attention to the curtain, so we may introduce our adorable contestants for this event!" Jude snapped his face to the curtain in front of him, his eyes wide with terror. Katie, Andrew, and Jessie all turned their attention to the curtain as well, sharing the same expression as him. To their sheer horror, the curtain slowly raised up in front of them, allowing them to see just where they were. They were all lined up in their baby bouncers on a stage, facing out into an audience full of Pokémon parents. Towards the back of the audience, the could see their mothers, all holding up a large sign. It said a single, solitary word on it, one that was enough to make them all start crying.

 _Surprise!_


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

"Now, allow me to introduce our adorable babies for this event!" The Announcer stated. They went down the line of babies on stage, each time they introduced someone, their respective baby bouncer started to bounce them on their own. Between each introduction, the audience awed and cooed at each baby, particularly over the names The Announcer gave each one.

Around halfway down the line The Announcer reached the four of them. They were each introduced as 'Toddler Tommy', 'Sweetie Sally', 'Teeny Tiffany', and 'Eager Emile'. The audience continued to aww and coo at each of them, causing their faces to turn bright red. Since they couldn't move because of their baby bouncers, they just sucked on their pacifiers and tried to keep calm, though it was proving extraordinarily difficult.

Eventually the Announcer finished introductions, and continued talking. "With all of our adorable little ones introduced, let's prepare for the first event!" After finishing that statement, the curtain in front of them dropped down again, hiding the audience from view. Jude and the others looked around confused, still sucking on their pacis. _What happens now?_ He thought, when he suddenly felt someone pick him up out of the baby bouncer and walk into a room off to the side.

Jude tried to move his head back to see what was holding him, but whoever it was, they were keeping him facing forward. He tried to struggle, but was unable to even turn his head a little. Soon he was set down in another baby bouncer in this new room, and tried to see what was around him. The room was a dressing room of some sort, and he was facing a large mirror. Jude blushed heavily when he saw himself, humiliated to see just how much of a baby he looked like in his onesie.

Not wanting to look at himself any further, Jude turned his head to the sides to see the other babies beside him. They were all in a line again, each with their own separate mirror and changing table in front of them. Jude noticed there were Pokémon walking around, many of which were changing the babies into new outfits. Just as he was about to wonder if that was gonna happen to him, he saw someone walk in front of him.

It was a Lurantis, wearing a light green dress. She looked down at him with a warm smile, carrying something in her scythes. "Hi there! I'm Vivian, and I'll be your outfit changer for the Pageant!" She said excitedly. "Your mommy made it especially clear what you would be wearing for the Pageant, and it's my job to make sure you look absolutely adorable!"

Jude groaned behind his pacifier. He widened his red eyes, the emotion in them pleading for the Lurantis to help him, but she didn't notice.

"Now, let's get you changed for the First Event!" She cheerfully said, lifting him out of the baby bouncer and onto the changing table. She quickly undid the straps over his crotch region and opened up the onesie, before stopping in her tracks.

"Uh oh! It looks like someone had a bit of an accident!" She said, causing Jude to look up in shock. He didn't even notice he'd wet his diaper, yet it was easy to see, the yellow stain on the front. His eyes welled up with tears, realizing he'd actually gotten used to wearing a diaper and was just using it indiscriminately now. He started to cry as Vivian tried to calm him down.

"Don't worry little Tommy! We'll get you all cleaned up and into a fresh diapee, and then you can put on your new outfit!" She said, not skipping a beat. She got to work on changing him, removing his onesie and cleaning off his body as she slipped a new, extra-large diaper under him. She then applied a large amount of baby powder to it before sealing it around him.

"Alright! Now it's time for your new outfit!" Vivian said, showing it to Jude. It was a pair of light green coveralls, with a sleeping Chikorita on the front of it. She easily slipped it over top of him, zipping up the back. Jude took a few minutes to try and stop crying when he noticed his fingers were free. He seized this opportunity to try and grab the strap for the pacifier, but was noticed by Vivian.

"Oh, silly me! I almost forgot!" She said, grabbing his arms. He tried to struggle them free, but was unable to before she slipped a pair of dark green mittens on top of them. "Your mommy said you were pretty grabby when it came to your paci, so she asked that we make sure you always had mittens." Jude sighed in defeat as she tightened the mittens around his hands, before Vivian took a step back to coo at him. "Oh you are just so precious! No wonder your mommy signed you up for the Pageant, I'm sure you will be a shoo-in!"

That last statement made Jude tense up in fear. It was bad enough that he was here to begin with, but just the thought that he might actually win it…He shivered at the thought. Vivian picked him up and set him back in the baby bouncer before stepping in front of him. 'I'll be right back Tommy. You stay here and look cute to practice for your First Event!" She cooed before walking away.

Jude took this opportunity to try and lift himself out of the baby bouncer, but couldn't. He looked down and saw that his diaper was bigger than the last one, and it was stuck firmly in the baby bouncer. The smell of baby powder filled his nose, making it clear to him that he both looked, and smelled like a baby. Sighing at the view of his massive diaper his put his head up and looked around to see the other babies.

To his left he saw Jessie, being rocked back and forth by an Audino. There were tears coming down from her eyes as the Audino tried to calm her down. She was wearing a purple sleeper with little yellow stars all over it, with a matching bonnet and mittens. Jude turned his head to his right and saw someone he didn't know, sitting in their baby bouncer while a Miltank cooed over him. He was wearing a dark red onesie, with a pair of red booties on. Unlike Jude, this baby's pacifier wasn't strapped to his head, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

 _How the fuck can you be enjoying this_ Jude thought in disbelief. He just sat there and stared for a bit, before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head in front of him, where he saw a Cinccino standing before him, a shocked look on its face.

"…Jude?"

Jude's eyes widened in alarm when he heard that. _Alex?!_ He thought, vigorously shaking his head yes to her question.

"Wait, what are you doing here? Lucy said you were against being babied period." Alex said, looking him over, concern in her eyes. Jude widened his eyes and stared at Alex, his eyes red with fear. One look and Alex could take a guess as to what was happening.

"…I'm going to call Lucy. I don't know how long it will take for her to get here, but I can't get you out of here without getting in trouble with my superiors. Just hold on." She said, taking out her phone and dialing Lucy's number. Jude smiled behind his pacifier as she left to take the call. _I'm saved!_ He thought as Vivian came back, carrying a baby bottle. She picked up Jude and cradled him in her arms as she heled the bottle up to him.

"Alright little Tommy! Drink up!" She said as she opened the cap of his pacifier and shoved the bottle inside. Knowing he had no choice Jude started to drink the milk, making Vivian giggle with joy.

"You are so cute when you drink your baba, Tommy!" Right after Jude finished the bottle, he suddenly felt very tired. _What the…so…sleepy…_ His eyelids felt heavy, and after a few seconds, he leaned his head to the side and fell asleep. "Aww, someone is tired! Perfect for the first event!" Vivian said as she carried the sleeping Jude towards the stage.

 _Meanwhile…_

"…WHAT?!" Lucy exclaimed over the phone. She'd just gotten a call from Alex, who said she'd found Jude at a Baby Pageant.

"I don't know what is going on here, but I know what I saw. I could tell it was him from the red eyes."

Lucy turned her face to Officer Nox and Officer Vice. "Call the squad. We found where he is!" She exclaimed, causing them to take out their phones and call the other officers.

"You might want to hurry. The First Event of the Pageant is about to start."

"I'm on my way. Tell him I'll be there as soon as I can." With that Lucy hung up, and started to head for the Pageant. _Don't worry Jude, it'll all be over soon…_

 _Meanwhile…_

"Alright everyone! It is time for the First Event of the Big Baby Pageant!" The Announcer exclaimed. "Please put your hands together for the Baby Bedtime Event!" The audience clapped in applause as the curtain came up once again.

On stage, they could see a row of cribs, each one holding a baby who was fast asleep. A monitor ascended from the top of the stage and turned on, giving an overhead view of each one of them. The sounds of a baby mobile could be heard over the speakers as the screen zoomed in on each infant, giving the audience a chance to observe each one up close.

The MUPIC members were sitting in the backrow, each one cooing at all the adorable babies they saw. "How precious." Annabel said, holding up a camera and snapping a picture of each of the babies. "These other parents do such a good job with taking care of their babies" Beth said. "Not as good as us, but some of them are pretty impressive" Martha said. "I wonder if any of the mothers here would be interested in joining us?"

Soon their children were displayed on the monitor, causing them all to giggle at how cute they looked. "Oh, look at my Little Tiff-Tiff!" "Sally is just so precious!" "My Emile is simply adorable" "Aww, little Tommy is so cute sucking on his paci!"

After some time had passed, all the babies were shown on the display, which zoomed back out to show all of them. "With that, we have concluded the first event! Please be patient while we prepare for the next event!" The Announcer said as the curtain closed once more. The crowd applauded once more for all the babies as they waited with excitement to see them again.

 _…_

After a few minutes, Jude started to come to. _Uggh, what happened?_ He raised his head up to see that he was back in the dressing room, sitting in the baby bouncer. One distinct difference he noticed was that, aside from the diaper and mittens, he was completely naked. He blushed heavily as he tried to cover himself with his arms, despite it being unnecessary. He looked around and saw that he wasn't alone either, everyone else was sitting almost completely naked, save for their diapers. Jessie had her hands over her chest, trying her hardest to cover herself, so he quickly looked away from her.

He saw Vivian walk back in front of him, giggling about something as she looked at him. "Hi little Tommy. Enjoy your nappy nap?" She cooed to him. _Wait, was I asleep?_ He thought as she picked him up and brought him onto the changing table. "Alright, let's get you all dressed up for the next event!"

Jude groaned once more as she slipped something on him. It was a baby blue t-shirt with a smiling sun on the front of it. _Wait, that's it?!_ He thought, embarrassed that there was nothing to cover up his diaper. "Oops, I almost forgot." Vivian said, pulling out a large sticker. She showed it to Jude, who saw that it said, "Baby no. 8, Toddler Tommy." Staring in disbelief, she turned him around and stuck it to the back of his diaper.

"Can't have anyone forgetting your name little guy!" She said with a smile as patted his diapered butt. _That was the thing Susan put on me earlier?_ Jude thought as he was picked up by Vivian. She carried him out of the dressing room and back onstage, where his eyes widened.

The curtains were still down so he couldn't see the audience, and he was glad about that. But sitting in the center of the stage was a line of playpens. They had plastic walls on all sides, except for the side facing the curtain, which was composed of glass. Some of the other babies were already in them, a few playing with whatever was inside.

"Alright Tommy, have fun!" Vivian said as she sat him down in one of the playpens. He turned around to try and get her attention but by then she had already walked away. Sighing, he turned his head around and looked at what was strewn about the pen. There were a few blocks and a toy xylophone, but aside from that it was rather barren.

 _What am I supposed to do exactly?_ He thought, as he heard the announcer speak again. "And now for the Next Event of the Big Baby Pageant! Please put your hands together for the Playtime Event!"

 _Oh great, not again…_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

Lucy was running down the street, the other officers following behind her. She rounded a corner and saw a sign advertising a baby pageant in a nearby building. _There it is!_ She thought, as the other officers caught up to her.

"Officer Sparks. You said that this was the place?" One of them said. "Yes. A friend of mine dropped that she saw him here. Now let's get a move on." Lucy said, walking over to the building. There was an Octillery stationed outside of the building, wearing a purple dress with a grey scarf around its neck.

"Good afternoon officers. We are currently in progress with our first ever Big Baby Pageant. Would you like to join us in viewing?" It said calmly, looking over all the officers.

"My apologies for the intrusion, but we have received word that a lost child is here. We need to search the premises immediately" Lucy said sternly.

"I am sorry, but we cannot allow that unless you have a search warrant." The Octillery responded. "This event is sponsored by the city council, and cannot be stopped while it is in progress."

"Excuse me? We are the HAA, you have to allow us access."

"That is true, but we cannot stop this event. If you want to proceed go ahead, but you must not stop this Pageant."

 _Dammit. This is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought_. Snorting at the Octillery's resilience, Lucy gestured for the other officers to follow her inside. She stepped inside the building and found a large audience, all of which seemed to consist of Pokémon parents. They were facing what appeared to be a stage, with a purple curtain down in front of it.

"Fan out and search." She commanded to the other officers. "If you find him, get him out of here on the double. We may not be allowed to stop this Pageant, but that won't stop us from finding him." With that the other officers started to move across the floor, scanning the crowd for any signs of him. She grabbed one of the younger officers and told him to run back to HQ and get a search warrant for the building, and sent him out.

 _I'll find you Jude. Just hold on_ She thought, before hearing an announcer's voice over an intercom. "And now for the Next Event of the Big Baby Pageant! Please put your hands together for the Playtime Event!" The audience clapped in applause as Lucy raised an eyebrow at that statement.

 _The what Event? This is a weird Pageant_ She thought as she watched the curtain raise up. Her eyes widened once she could see what was on stage. _What? Who thought this would be a good thing to watch?_

On stage, she could see a line of playpens, each of which had a glass wall facing out to the audience. Inside each pen was a human child, dressed like an infant. Each one was playing with something in their respective pens, be it stacking blocks, or playing a toy xylophone.

She quickly noticed that each one of them was wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and diaper. Lucy took a few steps forward on the right side of the audience, and could faintly see that everyone on stage had a sticker on the back of their diapers, with a number and their name written on, along with another word with the same first letter.

Lucy just stood there, trying to figure out why anyone would find this interesting, when she heard the audience start cooing and gushing over them all. She guessed that many of them were parents of said kids, so it made sense that they'd want to coo them, but putting it on display for everyone to see was just baffling to her.

She stood there and watched for a small bit, before hearing some very loud, and honestly obnoxious cooing coming from the back of the audience. She turned her head and saw that it was four Pokémon in the back row, each one giggling and gushing over the kids.

"Eeeeee, Look at Tiffany! She's so smart!" "Little Tommy is so cute trying to the xylophone!" "My Emile is just so precious with his stuffed animals!" "Sally is adorable with her little rattle!" The mothers cooed, giggling with joy as they watched.

Lucy took a moment to try and see who they were referring to, before eventually finding them around the center of the pens. _I guess those are their children_ she thought as she scanned each one.

Tiffany had long blonde hair in pigtails, and was wearing a bright pink shirt and diaper, stacking some blocks in her pen. Beside her was Sally, with short brown hair, wearing a light-yellow shirt with her diaper, shaking a rattle gleefully. Emile had red hair that matched his shirt, and was currently playing with a stuffed Zebstrika. Lastly, she saw Tommy, who was in a baby blue shirt, tapping a xylophone with a stick. She could see each of their faces, except for Tommy, who had his back to the side of the audience she was on.

 _Hmmm, is it possible…?_ Before she finished that thought, the curtain dropped down again, cutting off her view of all the kids. "And with that, we have finished our Second Event. Now it is time for the Final, and most exciting Event. The Outfit Event!" The audience roared in applause to that last statement, dissolving into a frenzy of claps and coos.

Lucy was not sure how to feel about what she had just watched. She could understand some parents wanting to baby their children, but this was just too much. Before deciding what to do next, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see that it was Officer Nox, his face carrying an expression of concern.

"Officer Nox, what is it?" Lucy asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Officer Sparks, I think I saw him in there."

"What?! Which one!?"

"From what I had counted, the 8th from the left side."

 _Eight? Eight, eight, which one was eight?_ Lucy tried to remember which one it was, recalling the stickers on each ones' diaper. _Jimmy, Adam, Bailey, Carly, Tiffany, Emile, Sally…Tommy!_ She managed to remember the name and looked up at Officer Nox.

"Officer Nox, we're heading back stage. This Pageant is about to have a dropout."

 _Meanwhile…_

The curtain had just dropped, and Jude was about ready to keel over and die. Being onstage was one thing, but being out there with nothing but a shirt and diaper, forced to _act_ like a baby in a playpen, was too far. _This is horrendous. I don't care what else they have planned, I will not take part in it!_

He crossed his arms and snorted behind his pacifier, before feeling someone grab his sides. He was quickly lifted out of his playpen, and carried back to the dressing room. As they calm to his area he noticed that it was Vivian carrying him, who quickly set him back down in his baby bouncer once more.

"Good job, little Tommy! You were great out there! Now it's time for the best part of this whole thing!" She said with a smile as she looked at him. Jude did not believe that statement, and refused to even look back at her.

"Aww, someone seems a little grumpy. Didn't get enough time to play? Well don't worry, once this is all done you can go home and play as much as you want! Though for now it's time to get ready for the main event!"

 _Main Event? What are you talking about?_ He thought as he raised his head up to look at her. Vivian's back was facing him as she was grabbing something from his changing table. He raised an eyebrow with suspicion when she turned back around, showing him an outfit in her scythes. "Alright Tommy, this is the outfit your mommy picked out for you to wear. I can't wait to see it on you!" Vivian said ecstatically, holding it up for him to see. Jude's eyes widened in terror once he got a good luck at the outfit. _Holy Fuck, you can't be serious!_

The outfit Vivian was holding was nothing short of terrifying to Jude. It was all baby-blue in color, and was a onesie with frilly laces around the arm and leg holes. There was a frill-covered bonnet, mittens and booties with lace trims, and a big pink rattle with the word 'Baby' on it. On the stomach of the onesie was big white text that said, "Mommy's Little Angel", and on the rear end was more text that said "Tommy".

Jude was outright shaking when he saw the outfit, shifting his eyes left and right to see what was going on with other babies. He saw that Jessie was being forced into something just as degrading, a pink sleeper with a big bow on the back, white lace around the stomach, and a huge white bow on her head. On her chest were the words "Party Pooper", while the name "Sally" was written on her butt.

It was at this point that Vivian lifted Jude out of his baby bouncer and onto the table. She tried to take his shirt off but he started flailing wildly, not giving her a chance. "Aww, don't be afraid little Tommy. I'm sure your mommy loves you very much, that was why she got you this adorable outfit!" _EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WEAR IT_ Jude thought as he continued his freakout, not giving her a chance to put the outfit on him.

"Tommy, if you won't make this easy for me, then you leave me no choice." Vivian said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She reached under Jude and quickly flipped him over so his butt was sticking up. Before he could do anything, he felt a searing pain in his rear, as a loud _THWACK!_ Echoed from the room. _Oh no, please, not again!_ He thought in vain, as she continued.

 _THWACK!_

 _THWACK!_

 _THWACK!_

By the time Vivian finished, Jude's padded rear was vibrating, while the rest of him didn't move. Tears were coming down his face from the pain as she knelt down next to him.

"Now, are you going to behave? I don't want to have to do that again Tommy." Vivian said sternly. Jude nodded his head, tears still coming down, as her face suddenly changed back to its usual, perky look. "Ok! Let's get you changed" She said as she sat him up carefully. She made him raise his arms as she took his shirt and mittens off, leaving him in just his diaper and pacifier.

Vivian reached behind him and peeled the sticker off the back of his diaper, setting it down next to him. She was about to put him in the onesie when she stopped and stared at his diaper. "Uh oh, someone needs a change!" She said, as Jude looked down at his diaper. The front had a fresh stain on it, presumably caused by the spanking. This just made the tears on his face come down faster, as he sucked on his paci to try and calm down.

"Don't worry, it happens." Vivian said as she laid him down for changing. She quickly had the diaper off and wiped down his privates thoroughly, before slipping a new, even bigger diaper than the last one under him. _Why do they even make diapers in this size?!_ He thought as she applied a large amount of baby powder. Once she was satisfied that he smelled like a baby, she folded the diaper up and taped it shut. The sheer size of this diaper was so huge that he couldn't move his legs period. At least the previous ones he could sort of move them, but this one made it impossible to stretch them.

"And now for the fun part" Vivian giggled as she started to put Jude into his new outfit. It took a bit of time to get the onesie on him, on account of the giant diaper, but she soon managed to snap the crotch area shut. After that she tied the bonnet to his head, the mittens to his hands, and put the booties on his feet. She sat him up on the changing table and put the rattle into his hand, before stepping back to admire her work.

"EEEEEE! You are just the cutest thing ever with your new outfit!" She squeed as she turned him towards the mirror to show him his reflection. Jude's eyes widened in horror as he got a clear view of himself. He thought the outfit looked embarrassing before, but wearing it took the embarrassment to a whole new level. In all the other outfits he'd been forced to wear, he'd felt a small glimmer of hope, that he could live through being seen in them. This one, THIS ONE, was so childish, so juvenile, so completely and utterly babyish, that he honestly felt he would die of embarrassment if he went back on stage in it.

 _Please, if there is a God, don't let me be seen by the crowd back on that stage_ he silently prayed as Vivian scooped him up. She turned him over before slapping the sticker from earlier onto his butt. "There we go! Can't forget that. You are Baby No. 8, Toddler Tommy!" She proudly stated, causing him to start crying again. She set him back down in the baby bouncer, the huge diaper not even going halfway down before being secured. "Now don't worry Tommy. It's always scary going out on a big stage like that, but I promise you will be just fine!" She assured him, but it didn't stop the tears from coming.

 _Someone save me from this nightmare_ Jude thought, sucking on his paci, and now shaking his rattle, as he tried to calm himself. Vivian cleaned up her supplies from the changing table and turned to face him. "Each baby is going to be brought out one at a time for the Clothing Event. Can you remember your number little Tommy? Remember, you are Baby No. 8." She said, before they heard a name being called from a speaker above them.

"And now for the Big Showstopper, the Outfit Event! Please give a warm round of a applause to Baby No. 1, Jolly Jimmy!" They could hear the sound of a crowd roaring in applause as Jude saw another baby being carried past him. It was a boy, wearing a bright red sleeper with the word "Baby" Across the chest in big yellow text. He was shaking a yellow rattle and happily sucking on a pacifier as he was carried out to the stage.

 _Lord please save me_ Jude thought when he realized that would soon be him.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lucy was walking down a hallway towards a door to the dressing room. She'd sent a few officers ahead of her to clear the way, but it seemed they were having difficulties. The guard was a rather large Ursaring, who was arguing with the two of them.

"Just what is going on here?" Lucy asked as she approached the three. "Officer Sparks, this Ursaring is refusing to allow us access" One of the officers responded.

"Last I checked, you folks from the HAA needed a search warrant in order to search occupied buildings. And I don't see anything of the sort with you." The Ursaring growled, crossing his arms.

 _Dammit_ Lucy thought. They'd sent one of the younger Officers out to get a search warrant, but he hadn't returned with it yet. She snorted in frustration as she tried to think of another way to get inside.

"Well then, allow me to try and explain this rationally" Lucy said, stepping forward towards him. "We're searching for a lost child, and there is a contestant that matches his physical appearance inside of there."

"Oh really? What would this contestant's name be, exactly?"

"His name is Jude" She said, causing the Ursaring to start laughing.

"Nice try officer, but there aren't any Judes signed up for the Pageant. I wasn't born yesterday you know. If you want to see the babies you either come back with a search warrant, or wait to see them on stage."

 _Crap, I used his real name, not the name he was entered under_ she thought. _He'll never believe me now. Though I wonder…_

"Officer Whitewood, Officer Yanno, please come with me. Let's not disturb this Ursaring any longer." She said, causing the officers to look at her with confused expressions. "Uhh, Officer Sparks?" One of them said, as she'd already turned around and started walking away. The two quickly ran after her and asked what she was thinking.

"If we can't get into the dressing room, then we are going to have to do this the hard way." She said as they reentered the main room.

"This Pageant is about to have a blackout."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

As Lucy and the other officers walked back into the audience, they saw the curtain raise to a dark stage. They heard the announcer over the intercom say "And now for the Big Showstopper, the Outfit Event! Please give a warm round of applause to Baby No. 1, Jolly Jimmy!" She could faintly see the silhouette of a Pokémon carrying out a child, who was set down in a baby bouncer in the center of the stage, before a spotlight came down on them.

 _Oh my…_ Was all Lucy could think as she saw the first contestant. She thought they looked like babies before, now it was actively trying to make them look more infantile than an actual baby! Somehow the boy on stage seemed to be enjoying it, shaking a rattle while happily sucking on his pacifier.

The crowd cooed with pleasure at the site of him, even louder than before. Lucy was about to leave the room to head into a door to her left when she overheard a conversation from the crowd. Based on the voices she could tell it was the four loud mothers from earlier.

"Awww, this little one looks so happy to have the stage to himself!" "I'll say, but I don't think he's got a chance of looking cuter than any of OUR babies" "That reminds me, Susan, did you make sure the attendant got all the parts of the outfit?" Of course! I cannot wait to see little Tommy in his precious outfit!"

Hearing that name made Lucy turn around and stare at the four mothers. _Looks like we found our kidnappers_ she thought as she turned to some of the other officers. "Boys, I want you to bring those four out into the hallway when the blackout happens. I have some questions to ask them when I get back."

"Uhhh, Officer Sparks, we've had run ins with those four before…" Officer Yanno responded, twiddling his fingers. "They won't exactly come quietly…"

"They called us sexist the last time we tried to talk to them" Officer Whitewood said, a look of fear in his eyes. "It was honestly rather terrifying to experience. Never have I been torn down emotionally so fast."

"Oh suck it up you two." Lucy snapped at them. "If you aren't comfortable with doing it alone, get the others and have them help. Just get those four out into the hallway. If there is another room in the hall take them there." The other officers looked at her in surprise at the agitation in her voice. She turned her head at each of them, her gold eyes giving off a piercing gaze. "You heard me. Move!" She said, causing the two to scramble out of her way.

Lucy sighed at her sudden outburst. _Focus, now isn't the time to get angry_ she thought as she stepped into the door on the right side of the audience, out into another hallway. There were a few doors here, one in front of her, one down the hall to the left that led to the stage, and one opposite of that one. She walked down the hall and noticed that the room on the right had a label saying _Electrical Room_ , while the door opposite had the label _Stage Right_.

 _Here we go_ she thought as she quietly opened the door. She was about to step inside when she heard several raised voices down the hall. She turned her head to see the four mothers and several of the officers, who were desperately forcing them into the other room. While the officers were trying their best to keep calm, the mothers were spouting extremely crude and offensive insults at each of them.

 _So that's what they meant_ Lucy thought, remembering what Officer Yanno and Whitewood said about the mothers. She stepped inside the room, noticing the large assortment of electrical equipment, switches, levels, and wiring filling the place. _Now let's see how fast we can blow out the power_.

 _Meanwhile…_

One by one the other babies were called out to stage. Jude sat still in his baby bouncer, sucking on his paci while he watched the others pass by him. Each outfit he saw was more degrading than the last, and that was an accomplishment given he was currently wearing.

Soon he saw the other three get called up and carried out to stage. Katie was wearing a light-yellow dress, with big puffy shoulders and a huge petticoat that only covered half of her diaper. She had on knee high white socks and black Mary Janes, which she was kicking in a desperate attempt to be put down. Andrew was soon brought out after her, wearing a white and blue sailor outit, crying as he was carried onto the stage. Finally Jessie was taken out to stage, who had at this point stopped struggling, just lying still in defeat.

Jude had tried to lift himself out of the baby bouncer, but found the massive diaper was rooted in place, not budging even a little. All he could do was sit there, shake his rattle, and suck on his paci as he waited for the nightmare to come. It wasn't long until he heard the announcer voice come on again.

"And now, for our next contestant. Please put your hands together for Baby No. 8, Toddler Tommy!" The audience cheered as Jude felt someone grabbing his waist and slowly lift him out of the bouncer.

"Alright Tommy, it's show time! Get out there and knock there socks off!" Vivian said sweetly, patting his diapered butt as she carried him out. Jude started to cry, knowing full well he wouldn't be saved by anyone before this Pageant was over.

As they stepped out into the darkened stage, he could see the other babies that had gone before him, each one sitting in a baby bouncer near the back of the stage. Some of them seemed to be just fine, but Jessie, Andrew, and Katie were outright bawling, with some of the Pokémon working there trying to calm them down. This sight just made Jude's tears come down faster as Vivian set him down inside the baby bouncer.

"I'll be rooting for you Tommy" She whispered before pressing down on the bouncer, causing it to start bouncing him up and down. She walked back to the dressing room door before turning to watch him.

Jude sat there, almost completely paralyzed with fear. All he could do is suck his paci as he was bounced up and down, staring straight out into the audience. _Once that light comes on, it's all over_ he thought, waiting for the spotlight above him to turn on, showing his completely humiliating outfit off to the world.

That's when the lights turned off.

 _…_

 _Alright, I don't have much time. I had better go fast._ Lucy thought as she rushed out of the electrical room. There was smoke coming from the machines, as a result of her chewing through some of the wiring beneath them with her fangs. She had been listening to the announcer call out the babies, and when she heard the name Tommy, she hastily ripped the wiring to shreds.

Lucy opened the door into the stage and could see the entire room was in the dark. Many panicked voices were coming from the crowd, as she saw eight children on the stage, seven in the back, while one was center stage in a baby bouncer.

Lucy blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness before looking over the one in the front. He was dressed horrendously, in a way that she didn't even think a mother would find cute. He had a rattle in his mitted hand, and was sucking on his pacifier, which appeared to be strapped to his head. Staring out into the audience with a distant look, she could faintly make out the eyes, which appeared to be red in color.

 _Jude._

Lucy full on sprinted over to where Jude was, lifting him out of the baby bouncer and carrying him out through the door on the other side of the stage. She noticed that he wasn't moving, not even a little, his eyes just staring into space. Lucy quickly passed through the dressing room and out into the hallway, where she was glad to see the Ursaring from earlier wasn't around. She quickly stepped inside the bathroom before setting Jude down on his feet, though he quickly fell down onto his padded rear.

"Jude. Jude, snap out of it. It's me, Lucy" She said, shaking him thoroughly to break his gaze. His eyes adjusted to her before filling with tears. She quickly ripped the strap off the pacifier with her fangs, and pulled it out of his mouth. "It's ok. You're safe now." She said as tears started falling down his face. She helped him get the mittens off of his hands and took the bag she was carrying off of her shoulder before setting it down in front of him.

"I brought another outfit for you to change into. Go change in one of the stalls. I'll be right back" She said as she turned to leave, only to feel a pull on her tail. She turned around and saw Jude grabbing it with one hand, pointing down at his crotch with the other. Lucy saw him try to move his legs, but they didn't budge while in the absurdly large diaper.

"Oh, sorry." Lucy said, as she picked him up with her paws and carried him into one of the stalls. She set him down on one of the toilets before grabbing the bag and putting it down in his arms. "I'll be on the other side of the building. We found the Pokémon that did this to you, and we are going to make them pay." With that she closed the stall door and heard it lock, as she made her way out into the hallway.

The lights started to turn back on as the announcers' voice came on again. "Ladies and Gentlemen. We apologize for the technical issues that caused the blackout. We are unsure of what has caused the issue, and are looking into it right now. However, we appear to be missing the next contestant for the Pageant. If anyone sees Baby No. 8, please bring him back up to the stage."

 _There is no chance of that happening_ Lucy thought, as she made her way across the building, eventually getting to the room where the other officers were holding the mothers. Just as she entered the room she found that the mothers were arguing violently with the officers, most of which were practically trembling.

"How _DARE_ you drag us out here in the middle of the Pageant! We are going to miss seeing our precious babies on stage! We spent a lot of money to enter them in the Pageant, and here you officers are wasting our time!" One of them, a Goodra yelled, causing the officers to back away in fear. "Excuse me, but who exactly do you think you are to be insulting Officers of the HAA?" Lucy said, a hint of bitterness in her voice as the Goodra turned to her.

"Who am I? Why, I am Martha Swamps, head of the Mothers United for Proper Infant Care. And I have been forced against my will into this disgusting place by these VILE officers, who DARE try to lay their hands on me!" She sneered, the other mothers standing strong alongside here. "We came here to enter our darling babies into this Pageant with the hope of spreading the word about our organization, and now you _OFFICERS_ have made us miss their final performances!"

Lucy dug her claws into the ground, her eyes fierce with rage. She could understand being upset about missing their child, but insulting the HAA and, more importantly, being responsible for a kidnapping was inexcusable. "Oh really? And you wouldn't happen to be the ones responsible for the recent kidnapping that had occurred over the last few days?" She responded.

"Kidnapping?! You accuse us of kidnapping!? What sort of corrupt, disgusting organization has the HAA become to have their officers accusing Pokémon like ME of kidnapping?!" She proclaimed, the other mothers backing her up.

"Well, given the fact that the physical appearance of the missing child PERFECTLY MATCHES one of the children we overheard you four cooing over during the Pageant, I think it's a high probability" Lucy responding, causing their expressions to change from that of bitterness to shock. It took a second to respond before one of them, a Tangrowth, spoke up.

"So what if one of our babies looks like this missing child? We've been the proud mothers of all of our precious little ones for months, so I don't see how you can believe that we are responsible for the kidnapping." She responded, getting support from the other mothers. Lucy was about to respond when she heard the door behind her open, and the other officers gasp.

Lucy turned around to see that it was Jude, dressed in the Luxray outfit she'd brought for him. His face carried the emotion of…Well, she wasn't quite sure what exactly. It wasn't anger, sadness, fear, or any other emotion she'd seen, so what was it? She was going to ponder that question when he raised his finger and pointed at the Tangrowth.

"Her. She's the one that kidnapped me." Jude said, causing the officers to turn back to the mothers, who were stuttering to make a response as he continued. "I have been physically abused, emotionally scarred, and psychologically tormented for the last few days as a result of those four." He said as he walked forward to the Tangrowth, who looked down at him.

"…Little Tommy? What are you doing out of your outfit for the Pa-" She was cutoff as Jude's fist collided with her face, causing her to stagger backwards and fall onto the floor.

"MY NAME IS JUDE, YOU PSYCHOTIC BITCH!" He roared, pain and bitterness in his voice echoing through the room.

Lucy tried to take a few steps towards him, when he suddenly turned to face her. His eyes were red with emotion; anger, hate, and rage, but now there was a new one she hadn't seen before. _Bloodlust._

"Officer Sparks. I request five minutes with these four mothers so I can pay them back for everything they have done for me" He said, the fire in his eyes being vocalized with each word. He cracked his knuckles as the Tangrowth struggled to its feet, the others helping her stand. "Permission granted" Lucy said, knowing that he needed this time to vent the destructive desires in him. She motioned for the other officers to stand back, giving the floor to him.

"Just who do you think you are to be hitting Pokémon like that?!" Martha said to Jude, as she stepped up to him. "Children like you should be taught proper ma-" Jude didn't even give her the chance to finish before darting behind her, wrapping his arms around her body. He lurched his upper body back, lifting her off the ground as he suplexed her into the floor. He got back up as the Wigglytuff and Blissey both attempted to double team him.

The Wigglytuff ran towards him as he slid underneath her, pulling her feet with him so she'd fall into the floor. The Blissey opted to try and grab him, earning her a sharp jab to her lung. She reeled from the sudden pain as he repeated the attack with her other lung, causing her to collapse, cluching her chest and wheezing in pain.

 _I've seen Jude defend himself before, but I've never seen him full on fighting someone_ Lucy thought as she watched him, a mix of awe and terror on her face. _Given how much he works out, I shouldn't be surprised he can do this, but it's still quite a sight_.

Just as she thought he had finished, he noticed the Wigglytuff attempting to lift itself off the floor. Before it could do so Jude raised his leg up to his head, and smashed it down into her back. After that she didn't move, either from the pain or from the fear of getting further injured. _Sweet Arceus, was that an axe kick?_ Lucy thought.

Jude took a few steps back and observed the state of the mothers. The only one that was able to stand was the Tangrowth, who looked at Jude with a frightened face. "W-Why would you do this to us!?" It stuttered. "I-I just wanted to take care of you!"

"NO. YOU WANTED TO TREAT ME LIKE A MINDLESS BABY!" Jude broke into a full-on run before drop-kicking the Tangrowth, sending her flying into the wall. She slid down to the ground, unconscious, as the others stayed down on the ground.

"You TORTURED me for the last few days, so I felt it was only necessary to let you experience the PAIN you brought to ME. TENFOLD!" Jude exclaimed, his fists clenched, and his teeth gritted. The emotion in his red eyes was still burning with anger and bloodlust, and he looked more than ready to continue the beatdown if they dared get back up.

After waiting a few minutes to make sure they were out, Lucy turned her attention to Jude. "Is that enough, Lone Ranger?" Lucy asked. Jude didn't move from his position, but slowly nodded his head yes. "Alright then. Officers Yanno, Nox, Whitewood, and Vice. Arrest these four." She commanded, as the four of them walked over to the unconscious ladies.

"One more thing." Jude said, catching Lucy's attention. "I'm not the first one they kidnapped." Lucy's eyes widened when she heard that. _What!? They've done this before!?_ "There are three more humans out there who have been stuck under their ownership for god knows how long. Their names are Andrew, Katie, and Jessie, but these four BITCHES decided they should be known as Emile, Tiffany, and Sally instead."

"Officer Greathorn, Officer Stormfeather, go down to the dressing room and find those three." Lucy commanded. A Heracross and a Swellow stepped up to her. "But Officer Sparks, we can't get in there without a search warrant, remember?" One of them said, before she got a call from her cell. Lucy picked it up and answered to find that it was Officer Long, who had just gotten back with the warrant.

"We have the warrant we need. Grab Officer Long on your way over there to show it to the guard." She responded, before sending the two on their way.

Lucy turned back to Jude, who was facing her, panting. His eyes were red, but the bloodlust was gone from them. She stared into his red eyes, her gold eyes telling him that it was all over.

"Jude, let's go home."

 **Well, it looks like the Nightmare is finally over. Hopefully this won't happen to Jude again, but you never know. Anything is possible...**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28:**

Jude was completely silent on the way home. Lucy knew better than to try and talk to him about the ordeal, and kept quiet herself. As a result, the walk back was rather eerie, as the two slowly made their way back to the house.

 _I wonder how long it will be until he opens up about it_ Lucy thought as they continued. _Not anytime soon, I can guess that much_.

Soon they arrived back home. Lucy unlocked the door and opened it up for Jude, who stepped inside. His eyes were red, but they didn't seem to have any emotion to them. _He's probably still recovering_ Lucy thought. _He did burn up all his hate and anger when he made them pay_. Jude didn't even look at Lucy as he made his way past her, going into his room and closing the door.

Lucy considered going in after him when her phone started ringing. She pulled it out and answered it after seeing that it was her boss. "Yes, Captain Stark?"

"Officer Sparks! I've been informed you have recovered the Lone Ranger?"

"Yes sir. Though he seems to be still shaken from what had happened to him."

"That makes sense. Though care to explain why I was also informed that we had four battered and bruised Pokémon to arrest?"

Lucy stammered at that statement, realizing what he was talking about. "O-Of course. Once we had the four responsible for the kidnapping rounded up, he…Requested a chance to pay them back."

"Well, it's going to take a lot of paperwork to sort out this mess, but at the very least he is safe and sound now. Just make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

"Yes of course, thank you sir." Lucy hung up the phone and sighed. _I should have known there would be repercussions for letting him do that. But honestly, he deserved to pay them back for what he went through._

 _Now might be a good time to make dinner_ Lucy thought, wanting to give him some time alone. She walked over to the kitchen and got to work, preparing a steak she had been saving for a special occasion. _This definitely counts as a special occasion_ She thought.

After a few minutes, she had finished dinner preparations. Lucy set the table and then slowly made her way over to Jude's room, knocking on the door. "Jude? It's time for dinner." She cautiously said. There was no response, so Lucy carefully pushed the door open.

Jude was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head down. Lucy slowly approached him, careful to not surprise him. "Are you ok?" She asked with concern. He didn't respond to her question, and just sat there, unmoving. "Jude, please, if you need to talk to someone, you know I am here f-"

Lucy was cutoff as Jude suddenly embraced her, his head against her mane. She was about to ask what was going on when she felt that her mane was wet. _He was crying_ she thought, before soon returning the embrace with him. She could hear him quietly whimpering, so she slowly lifted one of her paws from his back up to his head.

"…It's ok. They can't hurt you anymore." She quietly said to him, as the whimpering turned into full-blown bawling. Lucy had never heard Jude cry like this, and didn't want him to be afraid. She could feel the tears streaming down from his face as he tightened his hold around her. She slowly rubbed his head with her paw as she continued to hug him. "It's all right. Just let it all out. Bottling up your feelings isn't good. It's ok to cry" Lucy reassured him, sitting down on the bed next to him, not breaking the hug.

They sat there for a few minutes, Jude still crying his eyes out. After a while Lucy could feel the tears start to lighten up, before eventually stopping. Without letting go of him, Lucy leaned over and whispered into his ear "Feeling a bit better?" Jude took a moment to whip the snot from his face, before quietly nodding his head. His eyes were red, not with emotion, but from all the crying he'd been doing. The two of them slowly broke out of the hug as they stared at each other, Lucy's warm smile looking over Jude's trembling face.

"…I was scared" Jude said. "I was embarrassed, but more importantly I was scared. Scared that I would live my life being treated like a baby. Scared that I would be trapped in the possession of those Pokémon. Scared that I'd…I'd…" Jude couldn't seem to bring himself to finish that last sentence. He put his head down while Lucy put her paw in his lap, silently asking him to continue.

"I…I was scared that I'd never see you again." He finally said, looking up at Lucy with his red eyes. She could see the emotion in his eyes this time, a mixture of fear, sadness, and insecurity. Those weren't the eyes of an aggressive, confident teenager, but the eyes of a scared, scared little boy. _He missed me_ Lucy repeated to herself. _He was afraid we'd never be together again_.

Lucy didn't say another word, instead wrapping herself around him and pulling him into another hug. She gently rubbed her head against him, and lightly licked his cheek. "It's going to be ok. I'll protect you. You won't be mistreated." She promised, as he leaned his head back into her chest.

"Thank you…Mom."

 **Howdy. Sorry this one is so short compared to the last one, but I didn't want to drag it out longer than necessary. Special Thanks to Sky Hooves for the inspiration behind this chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

**SWEET MERCIFUL ARCEUS. 5000 Views!? H-How!? Thanks for reading the story, despite my freakout. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

 **Chapter 29:**

It had been a few days since that night. The MUPIC home was raided, and Jude got his old clothes back. The other kids they had kidnapped were saved and put up for adoption, with much stricter requirements regarding babying. The paperwork was a total nightmare, especially since they had to account for the beatdown Jude had given the MUPIC, but Lucy didn't mind. She was just glad that he was home, and more importantly, that he felt safe.

It was still a bit weird that he'd started to call her Mom, but Lucy accepted it with open arms. She knew he was still scared from the event, and he needed someone that he could open up to, and it just so happened that he viewed her as that someone. He trusted her, so she was going to make sure she would be there for him.

Currently Lucy was in the kitchen, preparing sandwiches for lunch. Jude was taking a nap in his room, the sound of loud snoring coming from inside it. He'd been sleeping a lot lately, probably still exhausted from all the stress. Lucy laid out some plates for lunch, before going to check on him.

"Jude?" she asked, opening the door. He was out cold in bed, his face to the side and drooling. She slowly walked over and licked his head, causing him to stir. He groggily opened his eyes, taking a moment to focus his attention on Lucy. "Morning sweetie, sleep well?" Lucy had been a bit gentler talking to Jude the last few days, and he seemed to appreciate it.

Jude slowly sat up and took a moment to stretch. "A little bit" he said, before climbing out of bed. He was wearing a plain white shirt, and a pair of grey pajama pants. Taking a moment to stand up, he turned his head to Lucy.

"I just laid out lunch for us. You can eat in your pajamas if you want, though I would suggest putting some clothes on for later" Lucy said. She turned around and made her way out of his room, leaving him to his own devices.

 _Thanks Mom_ Jude thought as he went over to his dresser and changed. Jude knew she was shocked when he first called her that, but he didn't care. She was the only one who cared about him to the point that she tracked him down and saved him, so to him, she was practically his mother. After slipping into his normal outfit, a thought popped into Jude's head. _Hmmm…_

Lucy was sitting down at the table, patiently waiting for Jude. After a few minutes she heard his footsteps, and turned to see that he was wearing his Shinx outfit. "Aw, what's the occasion for that outfit?" She asked him. He blushed a little before responding with "I thought you might like it."

"That's very thoughtful Jude, but you really didn't have to do that" She said. She didn't want him going out of his way for her, even if he did see her as his mother. "I know, but I wanted to do it." He responded, a look of sympathy in his red eyes. Lucy sighed, seeing that he was serious. "Alright, just don't make a habit out of it. I appreciate you doing this for me, but I don't want that to be your only motivation."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I just thought doing something like this once in a while would be a nice change of pace." He responded, a half-grin on his face. He sat down opposite of her and the two dug in to lunch.

Jude quickly burned through his sandwich, only slowing down to drink some water to wash it down. Lucy was a bit slower than him, taking her time to enjoy the meal. Just as soon as she finished, a thought crossed her mind, and a wicked smile came onto her face.

"You know, I just had an idea." Lucy said, causing Jude to look up at her. "Why don't we take a picture? I know for a fact my mother would love to see you in that outfit" Jude blushed when he heard that, but he did understand what she meant. Maria did buy the outfit specifically for him, she'd probably really appreciate seeing him in it.

"Sure. But just one picture." He said, not wanting too much attention on himself. Lucy grabbed her phone and moved over to where Jude was sitting. She pulled up a seat and sat down beside him, wrapping one of her paws around his back.

"Alright, smile." She said, aiming her phone at the two of them and snapped a photo. She showed the photo to Jude, who nodded his head in approval, before she sent it to her mother.

"There we go. Though with that out of the way, I recommend changing. We need to pick up some groceries today." Lucy said. Jude got out of his seat and walked back to his room, already working on taking off his jacket. He soon stepped out in his usual outfit, taking a second to adjust the red jacket.

"Ready to go?" Lucy asked him. He nodded his head and the two made their way out. "If anything bothers you just let me know." She said as they started down the street towards the grocery store.

"I should be fine, just so long as no one tries to do anything to me" Jude said. _I don't want her to worry about me_ he thought. He sighed as they continued down the streets, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. _But at the same time…It is kind of nice to have someone worry about me for once_.

Soon they both arrived at the store. Lucy and Jude walked inside and started to go down the aisles, picking up items on Lucy's list. Occasionally they would bump into other Pokémon who would coo at Jude, but Lucy quickly put a stop to that. Jude for the most part stayed silent and ignored them, especially if any of them had human children, since they were all being babied. Though seeing that made a thought pop into her head.

 _…_ _Does Jude have any friends?_ Lucy pondered this question as they continued shopping. Aside from Alex's daughter Sarah, Lucy couldn't think of a single person he'd met that wasn't a Pokémon. And since he'd already made his stance rather clear on how he feels about other Pokémon, other humans seemed like the only ones he'd make friends with. Though if there was one thing she could guess about him, it was that he'd never have friends who were ok with being babied.

She contemplated pressing him for that info, but decided that doing it out in public wasn't the best idea. So, for now she decided to focus on getting the groceries. The two of them were efficient in hunting down what they needed, splitting off to cover more ground and easily grab everything.

Soon they had amassed everything they needed, and the two of them made their way to checkout. As they got in line at one of the registers, Lucy noticed Jude staring at a Kangaskhan employee, his eyes red with bitterness. "What is it?" She asked him as he turned his attention to her. "That Kangaskhan was the one that stopped me from getting the groceries last time." He said, his eyes still red.

"Pay her no mind then. She isn't worth your attention" She said. She remembered that day pretty well, given how much it soured Jude's mood for the day when it happened. They soon reached checkout, payed for their groceries, and walked out of the store.

Lucy considered asking Jude the question she'd thought about earlier, when she noticed a familiar face on the street. "Alex?" She said, causing the Cincinno to turn around. "Lucy! I wasn't expecting to see you here!" Alex responded, walking over to her. "I see you and Jude were out getting groceries. I was just taking Sarah on a walk" She was pushing a stroller, where Lucy could easily see Sarah sitting inside, wearing a pair of overalls and a pink shirt.

Lucy turned her head to see Jude, who was holding his arm over his stomach. He looked like he was going to be sick, sweat coming down from his forehead. "Jude, are you ok?" She asked with concern. He turned his head to her, his eyes red with the feeling of panic.

"N-No. I think I need to lie down." He responded. Just the sight of seeing another human in a stroller reminded him of when he was held captive, and made him want to vomit. _I know she doesn't mind it herself, and it isn't being forced on her, but I just cant take it_ he thought, groaning as he squatted down to the ground.

"Let's get you home, fast." Lucy said, panic starting to rise in her voice. She hastily said goodbye to Alex, promising they'd meet up again sometime, before helping Jude stand and walking him home. After walking for a bit Jude could stand on his own, but Lucy still stayed close to him in case he needed her support. Soon they reached the house and stepped inside, Jude going over to the couch and laying down on it.

 _Uggghh, that was painful_ he thought, as he started taking some deep breaths to relax his stomach. He could see Lucy put the groceries down in the kitchen before sitting down next to him.

"Are you sure you are ok?"

"Yes…I think. I just need a few minutes." Jude responded, as the knot in his stomach started to calm down. Lucy didn't move from the couch, and just waited for him to recover.

"Jude, there is something I've been meaning to ask you" She said, causing him to turn his head to her. "I've heard that from you before. Go ahead, ask the important question." He said, half-snarkily.

"Sorry if I sound rude, but…Do you have any friends? Your old team not withstanding?" She asked. Jude sat in silence after that question, mulling it over in his head.

"…Nope."

"Wait, that's it?"

"Yeah. I've never been much of a social person. Talking to people just wasn't my forte. I'm more the kind of person that stays shut in to most, but does allow a select few to see how I feel." Lucy took a second to realize she was one of the select few he was talking about. She put her paw in Jude's lap as he continued.

"A lot of the people I've encountered in my life did not treat me with respect, so I had to force them to. As a result my personality developed into the aggressive one that you've seen. It doesn't exactly help with making friends."

"Are there any other people you've met that you would consider friends?"

"Honestly…No. I can say they are nice people, like Sarah. But I can't consider them my friends, either because I don't know them all that well, or…"

"…You can't get over the fact that" Lucy said before he raised his hand to stop her.

"Exactly. You don't even need to finish that statement. I just can't find it in myself to be friends with people who…actually _Like_ that stuff. I just…HOW?!" He said, shaking his hands into space to show his confusion. "It also doesn't help that…THAT…Just made me hate that shit even more than before." He curled his open hands into fist, no doubt still pissed. Lucy rubbed his leg with her paw, causing him to put his hands down and uncurl them.

"I understand. Though maybe we can find you someone else to talk to, someone who has a similar mindset to yours." Lucy said, causing him to sigh. "I wish. But nowadays I feel like I'm the only sane human in a sea of insanity" Jude said.

After that, Lucy got to work putting the groceries away while Jude went to lie down in his room. Once she finished putting away the last of them, she noticed that she got a text from her mother.

"Oh wow, I didn't expect her to send a message composed of nothing but the letter E" Lucy said sarcastically. Giggling to herself over her mothers glee, she suddenly found her phone vibrating. _Oh shoot, it's the boss_ She thought as she quickly answered.

"Hello sir?"

"Hello Officer Sparks. How goes The Lone Ranger?"

"He's starting to feel a bit better. Though I've started to notice something…"

"And that would be?"

"Well, he definitely puts the word Lone in Lone Ranger. From what I've seen he doesn't have any friends, and it's highly unlikely that he will make any on his own…"

"I assume you are referring to the babying?"

"Yes sir. Given the ordeal he went through, he likely won't ever make friends with any human that has accepted babying."

"…Officer Sparks, I may know someone he can talk to."

"What?" Lucy said. She didn't expect that kind of a response from Captain Stark, who usually thought that it would just be a matter of time.

"There is a traveling agent coming to the city in the next few days. He has a son, and the two of them are also against babying. The two of them are going to be here mostly for sightseeing, so if you want we can talk to them about meeting with the Lone Ranger."

Lucy was stunned. There was another person like Jude, and he was coming here soon. Taking this opportunity, she responded with "Yes, I would really appreciate that."

"Alright then. They will be here in a few days. Once their plane lands you and me will greet them and inform them of the situation."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

With that Lucy hung up. _Thank goodness, maybe this will help Jude_ she thought as she walked over to the living room.

Jude had been listening in on the conversation, keeping his ear up to the door of his room. _Hm, she wants to help me, but I don't know if this is such a good idea_ He thought. Not that he was against the idea of meeting someone that also hated babying, but he still doubted it would work out.

 _Well, might as well let Mom set it up anyway_ he thought as he sat down on his bed. He looked over at his nightstand to see the picture from his pack sitting on it. He took a second to adjust the picture so he could clearly see it, and sighed. _My team members were the only friends I've ever known. I don't think I'll ever have friends like them…_

 **Thanks for reading this far. Make sure to check out my other story over on Fictionpress, The Brotherhood.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Howdy. This is gonna be extremely brief, if only because its setting up for a bit of a crossover. if you want to see the other side of this story check out Gram's New Perspective.**

 **Chapter 30:**

A few days later, and Lucy was filling out paperwork at the HQ. Jude was back home, still rarely leaving the house unless he was with Lucy. As she finished filling out the writing on case, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see that it was Officer Nox, who seemed to want to say something.

"What is it Officer Nox?"

"Captain Stark wants to see you. He sent me to tell you."

"Ah, thanks." Lucy got up from her workplace, and made her way over to Captain Starks office. When she walked in, she could see that Stark was shuffling through a file on his desk, before noticing her arrival. "Ah, there you are, Officer Sparks. So, are you ready to meet the foreign agent?" He said, as he stood up.

"Oh, is it already time? I didn't think it would come up so fast." She responded.

"Of course. Their plane should be landing soon actually. Why don't we head down there and greet them properly?"

"Yes sir." The two made their way out of Stark's office, only stopping for him to collect the file he was looking over. Soon they walked out of HQ, heading around it to the backside. Lucy knew where they were heading, given the fact that it was a flight they were waiting for.

As they reached the back of HQ, they could see a landing strip not far from the building. There was a flight that had just arrived, and presumably that was where the foreign agent would be. Lucy and Captain Stark soon arrived at the strip and waited for the people on board to clear out.

"Captain, what is that file you have, if you do not mind me asking?" Lucy said. She'd noticed that Captain Stark had been looking over the file on the way over, and was curious why he was so interested in it.

"Oh, this? Well it's a file on The Lone Ranger of course." Stark responded. "Our foreign friend needs to get caught up to speed about him, so I figured bringing the file with me would be a good way to inform them."

"O-Oh, yes. Of course." Lucy said.

Soon the flight was all but cleared of passengers, when they saw two figures exit. One was a Terrakion, dressed in HAA uniform, another being a rather muscular looking boy. _That must be them_ Lucy thought, as Captain Stark approached them.

"Hello, you must be Officer Terrence Boulderfield. I am Captain Stark, I hope you enjoyed the plane ride." Stark raised his claw out to greet them, with the Terrakion shaking it with his horn in response.

"I much prefer the land but It was nice." Terence admitted.

Captain Stark smiled and turned his attention to the boy. "And you must be the Strongman A.K.A. Gram Boulderfield, it is a pleasure to meet you." Captain stark said as he held out a claw, to which Gram shook carefully so that he didn't cut his hand.

"The pleasure is mine Captain." Gram said.

"I would like you to meet one of best officers we have, this is Officer Lucy Sparks." Stark said, as he motioned for Lucy to step forward.

"Nice to meet you." Gram said to her.

"Likewise." Lucy responded. "Before you go on your way, I have a little favor to ask." Lucy said, causing Terrence and Gram to look at each other.

 **And that's it. Told you it was brief. Be sure to check out the other side of the story, Gram's New Perspective. And be sure to check out my ongoing story on Fictionpress, New Changes in New Places.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31:**

"Sure, what is the favor you need?" Gram asked Lucy.

"Follow us." Lucy said as she led the way to the HAA building along with Captain Stark. Gram and Terrence followed behind them as she led them through the HAA building and into a boardroom, closing the room behind him

"Have a seat." Captain Stark said, causing Gram and Terrence to do so, as Lucy sat down as well.

"I should explain." Lucy said bringing the attention to her. "You see, I have a son named Jude, and he was recently kidnapped from a bunch of ladies that were aggressively babying him and punished him if he showed any resistance. The whole ordeal both physically and psychologically traumatized him."

"Ok, and what does this have to do with us?" Terrence asked, a confused look on his face.

"The experience has been extremely negative for Jude. As a result, he gets sick at the mere sight of other humans being babied. This has made it especially hard for him to talk to others around his age." Lucy explained.

"I see." Gram said, starting to see where this was going.

"So, when this opportunity arrived, we thought that you might be able to speak to him, since you also have shown great disdain at babying."

Terrence and Gram took this opportunity to look at each other, and then back at Lucy and Stark.

"It would be more accurate to say that I can't be babied, while Terrence just downright despises it." Gram said, causing both Lucy and Captain Stark to look at him in confusion.

"Care to explain?" Stark asked, somewhat lost on what Gram was implying.

"To say you hate something means that you don't like it due to emotional or physical reasons, and those can change over time. I however said I can't, meaning the reason I don't like it is because if I do there is a serious consequence." Gram explained.

"And that reason is?" Stark asked.

"I am allergic to Cotton and paper, the way Pokémon make their onesies and diapers, they are made from cotton because it is the most comfortable and the most absorbent. and other diapers are paper based."

 _Allergic to Cotton I can understand, but paper?!_ Lucy thought. "I understand." She lied as she tried to rationalize what she'd just heard.

"Truth be told though, I think Terence hates human babying more than I do." Gram said and Terence nodded his head in confirmation.

"That's rare." Stark said, as he set down the file he was carrying on his desk. "I think you should look through these files and you will have a better understanding of why Jude gets sick around babying." Stark said as he slid the folder to Terence and Gram. Terence caught the folder with his hove while Gram replaced his fingerless gloves with reusable ones and then opened the file. the first image they could see was an assortment of mugshots, showing a Blissey, a Wigglytuff, a Tangrowth, and a Goodra.

"Those are the Mothers United for Proper Infant Care or MUPIC for short. They are the ones who kidnapped Jude." Lucy explained. Gram and Terrence looked over the mugshots for a minute before setting them off to the side. The next paper contained pictures of four humans. "These are the teens that were in their captivity. My son is on the top left, the other three are Andrew, Katie, and Jessie. While in the MUPIC's captivity however, they were called Tommy, Emile, Tiffany, and Sally respectively." Lucy explained.

Gram turned the page, causing the two of them to nearly gag. "SWEET ARCEUS, WHAT IS THAT HIDEOUS THING?!" Gram yelled in disgust while both him and Terrence averted their eyes, as the next page had something they could never un-see. It was the horrifying outfit the mothers had forced on Jude for the Pageant, albeit put on a mannequin instead.

"And I thought humans were cruel." Terrence said as he forced himself to look at the picture again.

"That was the outfit those mothers forced my son in at a baby pageant that he and the other three were forced to attend." Lucy explained. She was glad Jude wasn't here to see it again, as he likely would have destroyed the picture in an instant.

"They have baby pageants?" Terence asked, a shocked look on his face.

"Sadly yes, though it is supposed to be illegal to enter children into them without proper consent." Lucy said with a sigh. _That was SUPPOSED to be the truth, but some Pokémon thought otherwise._

"The person who made this must have been drunk, while whoever BOUGHT something like that must have been high, drunk, and have serious mental issues." Terrence said, trying his hardest not to vomit.

"Please tell me you burned this thing, something like that should not exist in this world." Gram said.

"Sadly no, it is evidence and will be used in court. After that, we don't know what to do with it." Lucy said.

"... I think I understand the situation now." Gram said, changing the subject and flipping the picture over so he didn't have to see it.

"Correct me if I am wrong. But as a result of this, Jude can't stand the sight of human babying, and the fact that the majority of the human population is being babied makes it hard for him to talk to others." Gram said.

"Yes. It causes him to get sick, even if he is aware that they are ok with the treatment" Lucy said, remembering their encounter with Alex and Sarah.

"And then there is us, a human that cannot be babied even if he wanted to be, and a father who tolerates babying but would never partake in it himself. From what I can gather, I'm probably one of, if not the only people that he would talk to." Gram said.

"That just about sums everything up. So, would you be willing to meet him?" Lucy asked. She desperately wanted Jude to have someone he could talk to, and Gram seemed like the only real option.

Gram and Terrence took a second to mull the idea over, before turning their attention back to Lucy. "Of course. It will be good for me to get some human interaction too. I haven't had any real human interaction outside my birthparents. Well, aside from the eye doctor, who fixed my eye after my birthmother nearly poked it out with a pacifier." Gram said.

Lucy smiled when she heard that, but quickly dropped it after hearing the rest of Gram's statement. "Wait, what?" She said, taken aback by that end segment.

"I went through child abuse for the first 14 years of my life. My original father was an alcoholic and my mother had an anger disorder. I would rather not talk about them at this time." Gram said rather nonchalantly

"…Ok then." Lucy was baffled at how calmly he described that. She contemplated pressing him further about it but decided against it.

"What can you tell us about Jude?" Terrence asked.

"Here" Captain Stark said, setting down another file for them. "This is our file on him from when we first encountered him."

The two of them opened up the new file, as Gram gave a confused look to Captain Stark.

"Is it ok for me to look at his personal and medical information like this?" Gram asked, not sure if he should be reading this info.

"Just stay to the first 3 pages, and you should be fine." Captain Stark said. "Anything after that is a bit too far."

As Gram and Terrence read up on Jude's info, they both looked pretty impressed. It recounted his encounters with the HAA as The Lone Ranger, and how he was able to almost effortlessly escape them.

"His record is impressive, but how the heck did he outrun a Crobat, which is classified as the ninth fastest Pokémon alive, with a fifty-pound bag?" Terrence asked,

"Well, he immobilized him first after throwing one of the other Officers into him. By the time we had recovered and chased after him, he was long gone. From what Jude told me, he used a grappling hook to scale the side of Mt. Silver, with his adrenaline pushing him through it."

"…Dang." Terrence said. He knew adrenaline could do quite a lot for escaping, but this boy was something else.

Eventually Gram and Terrence reached the part where Jude was captured. "Ouch" Gram said, seeing the description. "He was flattened by a tree?"

"It collapsed on him after a forest fire." Lucy said, leaving out the detail of him unintentionally causing said fire. "We're lucky he was able to recover from it. There was a high chance of him being paralyzed, or worse…" She trailed off from that sentence, not wanting to finish that thought in her head.

 _Meanwhile…_

Jude was using the alone time he had at home his advantage. While Lucy was out, he was taking the time to double up his training routine, particularly in his lower body. He'd been doing a lot of stretching to make himself more limber, and was currently doing the same training he was doing before he was kidnapped.

 _I'm glad Mom let me install this on the wall_ Jude thought as he pulled his upper body up. After the kidnapping Lucy agreed to install a pullup bar on his wall so he could use that for training. As the sweat started to come down his forehead he could hear someone knocking at the door. Knowing that wouldn't be Lucy, he chose to ignore it and continued his training.

 _No thanks, I don't want what you are selling_ he thought snarkily, as he raised himself up for another pullup. "6...7…8…" He quietly muttered as he continued. Though the knocking seemed to continue, causing him to sigh. _Oh great, solicitors are getting persistent_ he thought as he let himself hang on the bar. He stayed silent so whoever it was outside was unable to hear him, and waited for them to leave.

Standing outside the door was a Scizor, dressed in a dark grey suit. In one of his claws he was carrying a large fishbowl, which contained a Lanturn inside of it. After waiting for a while, with no one coming to the door, the two of them turned around and left. While walking, the Lanturn turned inside of the fish tank and started talking to the Scizor.

"…You sure he lives there?"

"No question. Jude lives here."

 **Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out my other story, New Changes in New Places, over on Fictionpress.**


	32. Chapter 32

Soon after their discussion, Lucy took both Gram and Terrence to her house to meet Jude. While they walked, she noticed that Gram was holding onto two large suitcases while Terrence was wearing a saddle with large bags on both sides that cover both sides of his body. Despite their loads, the two seemed to have no problem carrying them, much to Lucy's shock.

 _Geez, how much can those two carry?_ She thought, before being reminded of the massive pack that Jude was lugging around for so long. _Then again…_

"What a cute little house." Gram commented as they soon approached Lucy's home.

"Thank you, it isn't much but I work hard for it." Lucy said as she took out her keys. She opened the door and held it open for the two of them. Once inside Lucy moved them over to the living room, where Gram sat down on the couch while Terrence stood beside him.

"Jude, I'm home."

Jude was still doing his workout routine when he heard Lucy call for him. He flipped off his bar, wiped the sweat off of his forehead, and went to the living room. "Hey mo…" Jude stopped his sentence when he saw Gram and Terrence.

"Uh…Lucy?" Jude questioned. He still wasn't comfortable saying mom unless they were in private, so he used Lucy's name instead.

Yes, what is it?" Lucy responded, fully knowing what made him stop.

"Care to explain who these two are?"

Terrence took the opportunity to stand up and walked over to Jude. "Nice to meet you. I am Terrence Boulderfield." Terrence said as he walked over to Jude. He moved his head close to him, causing Jude to step back with a raised eyebrow.

"He wants you to shake his horn, his hooves are too large so he uses his horn for a hand shake." Gram explained. Still mildly confused, but still understanding his intent, Jude shook Terrence's horn.

"I would like you to meet my son, this is Gram Boulderfield." Terrence said as he turned to Gram on the couch. Gram stood up and made his way over to Jude as well.

"Pleasure to meet you." Gram said as he offered his hand, which Jude firmly shook. Jude could tell from how he was sitting earlier that he wasn't diapered, so that was already a plus in his book.

"So, you're the one they used to call The Lone Ranger?" Gram asked him.

"Course. And based on your appearance I'd be hard pressed to not see that you are the one they called The Strongman." Jude responded. He'd seen a news report regarding Gram awhile back, though he didn't expect to be meeting him.

"Correct. And before you ask, no. I am not treated like an infant."

"Excuse me? Why would you think I would ask that?"

"Officer Sparks informed us of your…previous predicament" Terrence answered, causing Jude to snap his attention to Lucy. His eyes were burning red with anger, and his expression clearly gave off the response of _Are You Fucking Kidding Me?!_ This caused Lucy to mouth a quick _Sorry_ to him, with Jude snorting in frustration.

"Though it seems to me that we are in similar boats about it." Gram said, Jude snapping his attention back to him. "Say what?"

"You aren't the only one who has had a bad experience with that sort of thing." Gram went on to explain his own encounters with babying, particularly with his abusive parents.

"…" Jude was honestly not surprised that there were others that had been tormented with babying, but Gram's experiences were worse than he expected. When compared to the shit he put up with during his ordeal, it made his torment look like nothing. "God, Fuck this World sometimes." Was all he could say in response.

"Jude, I have to head back to work now. These two will be staying here a bit longer, so I hope you can talk more with them." Lucy said. She walked over to the door and left without another word, leaving the three of them.

"I assume Lucy told you how I was captured right?" Jude asked.

"You mean the fact that you were nearly crushed under a tree? If so, then yes."

 _Oh great, they probably looked through their file on me…_ Jude thought to himself. "I assume something else happened to you?"

"Well I was punched by a Machamp and knocked out cold." Jude double-taked at that, his eyes widening in shock. _What, was his mother a brick-wall or something?!_

"A-Anyway, I had another question. What did you do to get that much muscle mass?"

"Bulk berries almost double the amount of muscle you gain per workout." Gram responded plainly, as if it was common knowledge.

 _…_ _Note to self. Get some of those berries ASAP._

"…One last question, what is your opinion about babying?" Jude asked. He could take a guess why Lucy would want to set him up with this guy, but he needed to make sure.

"It isn't harming us, so we see no problem with it. it will be a problem if Gram touches any diapers or onesies as they have cotton and paper in them." Terrence chimed in.

"…Excuse me? Why is that important?" Jude said, taking a moment to mull over that response. A thought ran through his head, so decided to check and see for himself. "What, are you allergic to that stuff or something?"

"I am. It causes me to break out in a rash."

 _Oh god dammit, some people have all the luck_ Jude thought, as he snorted in irritation.

"Now then, we were recently given permission to train outside of town. Care to join us?" Terrence said, looking over at Jude.

"Train?"

"Course. The two of us practice swordsmanship. So, want to come with?"

 _Hmmm, not bad_ Jude thought. He could honestly use a bit more training in self-defense, despite doubling up on his workout routine. Plus, it was swordsmanship rather than martial arts, something he hadn't had experience with.

"I suppose that could be interesting. Sure." Jude responded, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Excellent. Gram, let's get going." Terrence said, as he moved towards the door. Gram stood up and followed after, with Jude taking a moment before tailing them.


	33. Chapter 33

**Hooooooooly Shit. 10,000 Views... Never thought I'd get this far. Sorry for being slow on the uploads, though I can promise 1 thing. After this point, they will be a bit more regular in updates. Also, be sure to check out my other story over on Fictionpress, New Changes in New Places.**

 **Chapter 33:**

After Jude locked the door, Gram reached into the bag he was carrying and brought out what looked like sunglasses and ear plugs. "Care to explain what that is for?" Jude asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"We use these for extreme training, the sunglasses are pitch black to remove sight, and the ear plugs mute any and all sounds. This way you can get out of the city without having to see people babied or hear people coo at you. Just ride Terrence and we will do the talking." Gram said.

"Uh… I don't know." Jude responded, being reminded of what happened with MUPIC. "I can take one or the other, just not both."

"In that case take the sunglasses and let us do the talking. Just keep facing forward. We'll say you are deaf and that we are headed to a doctor's appointment or something." Terrence said, handing Jude the sunglasses. Jude gulped slightly, slipping the sunglasses on before mounting Terrence.

"You ready?" Gram asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Jude said as he felt Terrence move. He couldn't see a thing through the glasses, just as Gram said. Though that didn't necessarily make him feel safe.

"Let us know if you get saddle sore." Terrence joked as started walking.

To Jude's relieve, the walk went off without a hitch. Anytime they were stopped it was quickly brushed aside, with any Pokémon that approached them shooed away before they could comment on the three of them. _I can't see shit, but at least I don't have to deal with any godforsaken babying_ Jude thought to himself, cracking a half-grin.

After some time passed, they came to a stop. "We're here. You can look now Jude." Jude took a moment to remove the sunglasses, and saw that they were standing outside of a locked gate. Gram reached into Terrence's bag, fishing out a key and unlocking the gate. The three of them stepped inside and soon reached a large clearing.

"What is this, exactly?"

"This is a training field for the HAA." Terrence responded.

"Training field?" Jude said.

"Yes, it is used for training in combat." Terence said as both him and Gram started to pull out supplies. "You want to help set up the mobile kitchen?" Gram asked.

"Uhhhh, sure?" Jude said, questioning why they needed such a thing. After setting up a stove and grill, Gram took out 3 swords taking one for himself.

 _Alright, what exactly is going to happen?_ Jude thought as Gram made his way over to a nearby tree. He gestured for Jude to follow, who hesitated for a moment before walking over.

"Ok, for your first try you are going to use the wooden sword." Gram said as he handed one of the other swords over to Jude. "Use it on this tree, and try to chop it down."

 _Excuse me? It's a fucking tree, what makes you think I can chop the whole thing down._ Jude thought, taking a second to compose himself. _Well, might as well see what damage I can do to it_ he thought, entering a combat stance. Jude took a moment to wind up, before slashing down diagonally, getting about halfway through the trunk before the blade got stuck.

"Huh. Not bad for your first try." Gram said, moving behind Jude. Without saying a word, he put his arms out and grabbed Jude's arms from behind.

"What are you…"

"Your arms and back are too straight. Posture is key to sword fighting." Gram said, adjusting Jude's stance. _Uhh, I guess it could improve. Though I don't see how this would help._ "Alright, go again." Gram said, as Jude wound up for another slash, this time slicing through the rest of the tree, causing it to topple. _That's what I am talking about._

"Nice work you two." Terrence said. "You clearly have done some training on your own, haven't you Jude?"

"Correct. I trained in martial arts for a few years, though Sword Fighting is new to me. Honestly it doesn't seem too different, since it seems to be all about proper momentum and stance movement." Jude responded. Martial arts were a major aspect of how Jude kept in shape, which may have explained why he picked up the sword so fast.

"Impressive. Well, I'll let you two have at it. I'll just be here to observe." Terrence said, taking a seat near the stove.

"Have at it?" Jude said, taking a moment to see Gram enter a combat stance out of the corner of his eye. _Wait, is he serious?_ He thought, turning to face Gram.

"Well, come on." Gram said. _Oh fuck, he is._ "I want you to try and break my defense. Let's see what you can do."

 _You've gotta be kidding me. This is my first day, and you expect me to break your defense?!_ Jude sighed, and entered a combat stance for himself, his red eyes showing his annoyance. _Alright, let's see how you like it when I bring my A game_ he thought, assessing the situation. He didn't have the raw strength to break through Gram by himself, so he'd need to take a different approach.

Without warning, Jude suddenly lunged forward at Gram, sword raised. Gram instinctively raised his to block, playing into Jude's plan. _As anticipated. Let's see you block this_. Before Gram could react, Jude took the opportunity to dive forward, going under Gram's blade, and colliding with his legs.

"Going down" He said, as he wrapped his legs around Gram's right leg, pulling it out from under him, and causing him to stumble to the ground. Not wasting any time, Jude suddenly switched positions, kicking Grams blade out of his hand, and scrambling on top of his chest, pinning his arms with his legs.

"Checkmate" Jude said, a half-grin on his face. He looked down at Gram, who looked bewildered for a moment at what had just happened. That didn't faze him however, as his face quickly broke into a grin as well.

"Dang. I thought I had you all figured out, but you are just full of surprises, aren't you?" Gram said, as Jude slowly got up, helping Gram up as well.

"I figured I couldn't take you in a real sword fight, so I brought my own rules to the game." Jude responded. He walked over and picked up Grams blade, and tossed it over to him.

"So, ready to continue?" Gram said.

"Hit me with your best shot" Jude said, his red eyes alive with energy.

 _Several Hours Later…_

"Alright boys, let's wrap up for the day" Terrence said. Jude and Gram were currently in the middle of another sparring match, before turning to face him. Each one was sweating profusely, no doubt exhausted from the day.

"Cool…We can...End here…" Jude said, dropping the blade, and wiping the sweat off his forehead. They'd been going at it for several hours, and he'd honestly had a great time. It was nice being able to just hang with likeminded people, something he'd almost never done in the past.

"Gotta say, you were pretty good." Gram said. "Thought you'd have a rough time at this, at least to start, but you picked it up no problem."

"Thanks. I always was a fast learner, regardless of what the subject was."

"Pack It up you two. It's time for us to head back." Terrence said, as he started to disassemble the mobile kitchen. Both Gram and Jude helped him pack it in, and soon the three of them were on their way back.

"You know, this was supposed to be a thing to help you get over your fear of babying" Terrence said rather non-chalantly. "But to be honest, I figured that wouldn't help matters at all."

"Thanks. If this was a therapy session I probably would have bolted. But this was much better. A change of scenery and just hanging was just what I needed." Jude replied. Throughout the day he'd felt significantly better than he had the past week or so. Just being able to relax in a place free from the annoyances of this new world was pure bliss for him.

"That's good." Gram said, as the three approached the rear of HAA HQ. Jude could see that Lucy was waiting there for him, no doubt having just gotten off work. She looked up to see the three of them, and made her way over to Jude.

"So, how'd it go?" She whispered to Jude. Lucy had been worrying all day about him, silently praying that the whole ordeal would go off without a hitch. _Please tell me that nothing went wrong_ she thought, as he looked at her.

"It was great!" Jude said, his red eyes repeating the same emotion as his words. _Sure it wasn't at all like what you probably planned, but she doesn't need to know that_ he thought, as he was suddenly pulled into a hug.

"Thank goodness." Lucy said, looking over at Terrence and Gram after releasing Jude. "Thank you for taking time out of your stay for this, I really appreciate it."

"The pleasure is all ours Officer Sparks" Terrence replied. 'Sometimes a change of scenery and a new face is just what we need."

"Glad to hear that" Lucy said. The four of them continued to talk for a bit, until Terrence and Gram realized that it was time to go. They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, with Lucy and Jude heading back home.

"…That wasn't a therapy session, was it?" Lucy asked during the walk home. Jude looked over to her with a raised eyebrow before replying with, "What gave it away?"

"You don't seem like the type of person that would ever consider therapy great." Lucy replied, causing Jude to laugh. "True, true. Though honestly, it didn't need to be. I don't think the problem I had was a fear of babying, but rather I was sick of seeing it literally everywhere we went. So, getting to be somewhere remote, free from judgement in this new world felt…liberating."

"Hm. I hadn't thought of it like that before." Lucy said. She was reminded of Pokémon who went through something similar, where they could recover from it surprisingly well after just taking a few days off for themselves. "So, are you fine now?" She asked, still needing to make sure.

"For now, yes. You won't see me trying any of that stuff anytime soon, if at all. But yeah, I'm doing just fine."

"That's great to hear Jude" Lucy replied, as their house came into view.

"Thanks Mom."

 _Meanwhile…_

A lone figure was watching from the shadows, keeping low to the ground to avoid detection. They silently watched as Lucy and Jude stepped inside, before quietly muttering something to themselves.

"…Found you."

 **Thanks to all who have been reading up to this point, and thanks to TigerTyler7 for the Crossover. Though dont expect there to be another one anytime soon.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34:**

A few days had passed since then. Jude received a care-package from Gram and Terrence, a Sword that bared a striking resemblance to a Luxray. Naturally this was confiscated by Lucy, who didn't want to see him running around with a weapon, though she did allow him to train with it so long as she was supervising.

Currently Lucy was reading the paper in the kitchen, while Jude was doing some one-handed pushups. Since his outing with Gram he'd been a lot more active with his exercise, practically bounding with energy.

"47…48…49…" Jude said, keeping up his momentum. He'd doubled up on his requirements for training, now aiming for 200 in everything.

"Jude, stop for now and come look at this." Lucy asked, gesturing to him. Sighing, he took a moment to stand up and made his way over to her.

Lucy closed up the paper and showed him the front cover. _MUPIC Maniacs Met with Justice_. Jude grinned as he saw the title, realizing they'd been finally disposed of.

"All 4 of them were sentenced to life in prison." Lucy said. "If it was simply forced babying, they might have gotten away with just a few years, but kidnapping? They didn't stand a chance."

"Good riddance. I better not see those assholes as long as I live." Jude said, happy to know that they got what they deserved.

"Oh, and don't worry. The HAA took great care in making sure no one's name was mentioned, so no one knows you were involved." Lucy replied, giving Jude a wink.

"Thanks Mom."

"Don't mention it. Now, on a lighter note, I have some assignments at work that need to be taken care of, so I'll need to head out for a bit. Is that all right with you?"

"Course. Take all the time you need." Jude replied. He imagined the paperwork was still a pain from the kidnapping incident, so it made sense that she'd still have unfinished business.

"Thanks for understanding, I'll be back as soon as I can." With that Lucy grabbed her house keys and walked out, heading to work.

"Alright, with her gone, back to training." Jude said to himself, stretching his arms before going down for more pushups.

Soon Lucy arrived at work. She sat down at her desk and groaned at the sheer amount of paperwork still unfinished. _Alright, let's get this over with_ She thought, as she began to dive into it.

Hours flew by as she worked. The paperwork was dense, and required an immaculate amount of detail, but she pushed through it regardless. Every so often she'd look up at the clock, making sure that she didn't lose track of time.

Eventually her shift ended, and though she was drained, Lucy was able to knock out all the remaining paperwork. Smiling to herself for getting it done, she stood up, and started to make her way out of the office.

As she passed by Captain Starks office, she stopped to peek her head in to give him an update on it. "Sir, the paperwork you assigned me is all filled out, and is waiting to be archived."

"Excellent work Officer Sparks. And how goes the Lone Ranger?" Stark responded, looking up from his desk.

"He's doing better. Seems he just needed a change of scenery to help him relax."

"That's good. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Stark waved goodbye as Lucy moved away from his office, making her way to the exit.

 _I hope Jude didn't get into any trouble while I was gone_ She thought as she started down the street towards home. The sun was just starting to set, so she decided to double her pace.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Phew, what a workout!" Jude said, stretching his legs. He was soaked in sweat, after pushing himself as hard as possible during his routine. He wiped his forehead as he sat down on the couch, completely worn out.

"Well, that was pretty much the entire day, but I feel it was time well spent." He said to himself, grabbing the remote and turning on the television. There wasn't much to do around the house, so whenever he wasn't exercising, he passed the time by watching TV.

"Let's see, what do we have here…ah, that works." He said, flipping to a channel. The show it turned to was about a Samurott that was flung into the future by a nefarious Darkrai, and must fight its way past countless opponents to return to the past.

"Nice, don't see this one very often." Jude commented, wiping some sweat off. He took a moment to get settled and soon became engrossed in the show, only breaking away when he heard the door open. He turned his head to see Lucy walk in.

"Hey Mom. How was work?" He asked, before turning his head back to the tv.

"Pretty slow. Paperwork as per usual, but I managed to burn through it." She said, setting her keys down on the kitchen table. "So, what all did you do while I was gone?" Lucy asked Jude.

"Eh, mostly worked out. Finished a little bit ago, so I decided to watch some television to pass the time."

"Ah." Lucy was about to continue when she heard a knock at the door. "Oh, who is that?" She said, as she walked over to the door and opened it. To her confusion there was no one standing in the doorway, but that didn't stop her from hearing a voice. "Do me a favor and step outside. I need to have a word with you."

Lucy did not like the sound of that. She could call the police, but _SHE_ was the police. Seeing no other option, she stepped outside and shut the door behind her. Turning her head, she noticed a Pokémon standing to the side of the door.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" She questioned, not liking the situation she was in.

"My apologies for being so rude. Allow me to introduce myself." The figure stepped forward, allowing Lucy to get a good glimpse at them. Her jaw dropped when she realized who was in front of her.

"My name is Infernostar."

 **Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUUN.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Howdy. I finally get to talk about a character whose intro has been long overdue. Oh, and to any eagle-eyed viewers, yes. The thumbnail has been changed so Infernostar is visible. Aside from that, enjoy.**

 **Chapter 35:**

Lucy staggered backwards, still slack jawed. _Oh my Arceus…It's him_ She thought, as she stared at Infernostar.

He was just as Jude described, a Typhlosion, with red eyes akin to Jude's. Though something that was off to her, was that he didn't seem to be that large of a Pokémon. _Wait, did he not take the growth pills?_

Another thing that immediately caught her attention, was Infernostars choice of clothing. Or, more accurately, lack thereof. He stood there, completely naked, arms folded, with the flames around his neck ignited. Ordinarily she'd be appalled, but given his rather intimidating presence, that wasn't something she was focused on. She was more scared of how his red eyes stared her down, practically glowing with power.

"Again, my apologies for acting rude earlier, but I needed to be able to speak with you privately" Infernostar said, taking a moment to look around. "Sorry if I came…underdressed I guess you could say. But I know that you have Jude in this house."

 _Ok, so he doesn't want to kill me_ Lucy breathed a sigh of relief at that revelation. _But how did he find out that Jude lives here?_

"In case you're wondering, I did some research on Jude that eventually lead me here." Infernostar said, answering Lucy's thought. "I've been doing a lot of work to track down my partner, alongside the rest of my…well, former team."

Lucy took a second to try and think about Judes old team. _Lets see…He had Infernostar, alongside a Scizor, Lanturn, Skarmory, Umbreon, and Crobat_. She recalled bumping into a Crobat briefly, and could swear she'd seen a Skarmory around town, but other than that no one else came to mind.

"W-What do you want?" Lucy stammered, trying to look away from Infernostars gaze.

"…I want to see my partner. Honestly I figured that would-be kind of obvious." Infernostar responded plainly, unfolding his arms. Despite his eyes, his body language told Lucy she had nothing to be afraid of. He wasn't here to do anything wrong, he just wanted to talk.

"Ok. And what do you plan to do from there?" She said. She could take a guess that Infernostar wasn't just here for a visit, something else had to be up.

"Well, that comes down to what results from seeing him." He said it so simply, as if that was clear to everyone.

"…Alright. But if there is a next time, please put some clothes on" Lucy responded, as she turned back to the door.

"My apologies. Personally, I do not see the need for clothing, but if you request me to, then I shall."

 _Ok, he is a lot stranger than I thought he'd be_ Lucy thought, as she opened the door. "Jude? There is someone that wants to see you."

"Excuse me?" Jude said, standing up off the couch. _Who the hell knows me that would want to visit?_

"It's someone you know." Lucy said, making her way inside. She stepped out of the way of the doorway, allowing Infernostar to enter.

"What are you talking abo-" Jude cut himself short once he saw Infernostar. At that point, he walked over to Infernostar, completely silent. Lucy was about to say something, when the two of them suddenly embraced.

"…It's been a long time, brother." Infernostar said, rubbing his paw on Jude's head.

"…What took you so long?" Jude replied, looking up at him with a grin. The two broke the hug as Jude looked over at Lucy.

Lucy was about to say something, when she looked into Jude's eyes. Where the red in them normally showed cockiness and confidence, they now shined with happiness. _I shouldn't interrupt their reunion_ she thought to herself, letting the two continue.

Both Jude and Infernostar made their way over to the couch, with Jude motioning for Lucy to come join them. She didn't think she was needed for this, but he insisted, so she made her way over as well.

"How did you find me?" Jude asked, as he turned his head back at Infernostar.

"The others helped me track you down. Do you recall running into Artemis at the grocery store some time ago?"

"That was her?! I hardly recognized Arty!"

"I can imagine. They all look quite a bit different with clothes on, I must admit."

"Speaking of, how'd you get here without getting arrested for Public Indecency?" Lucy chimed in. Jude snickered at that comment as Infernostar turned his attention to her, pointing at his eyes.

"These babies do the talking for me. No one messes with the Typhlosion with Red Eyes. Plus, I just don't find it comfortable. To me, it's much more liberating being able to walk around with just my fur as my clothing."

"To be fair, that's how you always were when we traveled" Jude said. "You wouldn't even look at other Pokémon if they wore clothing. Heck, I recall at least a few times where you battled with your eyes closed because they had accessories on."

"That was half the clothing, half because I like a challenge."

"Oh, yeah right." Jude responded, causing the two of them to start laughing.

 _Wow, I am starting to see how their relationship works_ Lucy thought as she listened. Never once did Jude and Infernostar refer to each other like one was the master. They talked like old friends, not afraid to tease one another, but clearly caring significantly about one another.

"So wait, the others are here too?"

"Course. After the dust settled, the 6 of us room together. Baron, Current, Artemis, Cordelia, even Alucard said they either saw one of you two around town, or attempted to meet you guys here. Though I suppose you were out when Baron and Current tried."

"Possibly. Either that or I just didn't answer. I haven't exactly been…social in this place."

"Typical"

"Hey!"

Infernostar laughed as Jude playfully slugged him in the arm. Lucy smiled at the display. _No wonder Jude and Infernostar were as close as brothers. Its easy to see why._

The 2 continued to talk for a good while. Both of them exchanged stories of their experiences in the city, with Jude explaining his relationship with Lucy, and Infernostar detailing how he and the others worked. "Essentially, the others work more office like jobs, while yours truly stays at base and keeps things in check. So yes, I slack off. But only because the others know I'd burn down anywhere I would work at if someone ticked me off."

Eventually Infernostar noticed the time, and realized he needed to leave.

"My apologies for intruding for so long." He said to Lucy. "But I need to get back. The others are going to want to hear the good news."

"Oh, so you are just going to leave me without letting the others see me?" Jude said sarcastically.

"You know me better than that. I'll be back some other time. I have some…things that require my attention back with the others. But don't worry, I'll definitely be back."

"You better come back. Otherwise I'll track you down myself" Jude responded, causing Lucy to start laughing.

"I know you will. Well, till next time partner." Infernostar said, making is way to the door. "Oh, and Officer Sparks…"

"Please, call me Lucy"

"…Lucy. Thank you for keeping him safe. You have no idea how much it means to me." With that Infernostar opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

"Wow. So that was Infernostar…" Lucy was shocked. When she first saw him, he shook her very core with his presence, just emanating power from his body. His red eyes showed her that he was not someone to be messed with, and he looked like he could decimate an army without trying. But, much to her relief, his personality did not reflect that.

"Yeah. My closest friend. People said we were a lot alike on our travels. You probably saw why." Jude responded. _I hope she didn't think badly of him_ he thought. _Sure, he basically strolled in naked, but he didn't mean anything by it_.

"He's very similar to you. I can see why people said that." Lucy said. "While I don't exactly agree with his thoughts on… _nudity_ , I could understand where his mindset came from. I look forward to having a more formal meeting with the other members of your team."

"Me too. For now though, I'm beat. Is it alright if I turn in early for the night?" Jude said, stopping for a moment to yawn.

"Of course it is. Goodnight Jude." Lucy said, as he stood up and made his way to his room.

"Night Mom." Jude responded, closing the door behind him.

Lucy stood there for a moment after that. _…That was the first time he referred to me as Mom since Infernostar arrived_ she thought. _I guess he wasn't ready to tell Infernostar about it…_

She decided not to ponder that thought any longer, instead opting to head to bed herself. It was a long day, and she was feeling rather drained from all the paperwork.

 _I wonder when he will tell Infernostar…_

 _…_

A lone figure stood outside the window of their home. It was impossible to see their physical appearance in the darkness, but if someone were to listen closely, they could hear them saying something.

"…Soooooooooooooon."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36:**

The next day, both Jude and Lucy received a letter from Infernostar. It was handwritten, and invited both of them to where he and the others were staying.

"This is set to happen in the next two weeks or so. I can imagine you want to go?" Lucy said to Jude.

"That should have been obvious. Of course I'd want to see my old team." Jude said, his hands practically vibrating as he held the letter. _After all this time, I'll finally be able to see them again!_

Lucy smiled as she watched Jude. _I've never seen him so happy before_ she thought, _it's like he's a completely different person._

"Well, lets keep the date in mind." Lucy said, walking over to the kitchen and looking at her calendar. "That is about 20 days away from now. Though until then, we have work to do."

"Good point" Jude responded. _20 days…I can hardly wait!_

 _Meanwhile…_

A figure was listening on their conversations outside of their house. They were up against the wall, listening intently. When Lucy mentioned the amount of days until they would visit Infernostar, the figure quietly snickered.

"20 days…plenty of time…"

Before the figure could continue, they heard both Lucy and Jude make their way to the door. The figure silently slipped away, keeping out of sight.

"Alright, let's walk." Lucy said, as the two started down the road. She suggested that the two of them head out for a casual stroll around town. It had been awhile since Jude had done much of anything outside, discounting the visit with Gram.

"So, you said you wanted to know more about my team?" Jude said. He'd guessed that the walk was only a ploy so Lucy could learn about them, since she would be meeting them soon.

"Of course. Which one do you want to start with?"

"Hm. Let's start with Baron."

"The Scizor, right?"

"Yeah. Baron used to be a major pain. When I was traveling across Johto with Infernostar, we discovered that the National Park was pretty much owned by a legion of Scythers. Baron was the leader, and he refused to allow anyone to pass. So, being the slightly aggressive trainer that I was and still am, I called out their leader, and worked with Infernostar to take him down. Realizing he'd just come back and stir up more trouble, I figured capturing him was the best course of action."

"That seems reasonable. If he was just going to cause more trouble, reforming him would keep it from happening again."

"I thought so. It took a bit of time for him to warm up to us, but after a run in with a brutal trainer, he started to learn some respect for others. And after we helped him evolve into a Scizor, he really got his act together."

"That's great to hear."

As the two walked, more and more info about Jude's team emerged. He tried not to repeat what he had said in the past, instead describing their personalities, his history with each one, and how they worked with one another.

After some time passed, they reached the park. Jude put his head down after seeing where they were, with Lucy taking a second to try and figure out why. "…Oh, right. Don't worry, we won't be here long."

She hurried her pace, keeping close to Jude so he would know where to go without having to look up. Lucy noticed a few Pokémon giving them strange looks, but decided against saying anything. "Pay them no mind, they don't know what you've gone through"

The two of them passed through the park relatively fast, and with minimal problems. Despite the looks they got, Jude seemed to recover from thinking about it rather fast. Soon they were back on the streets, as Jude continued to talk about his old team, now giving Lucy some examples of what they did once all 7 of them were together.

"With the absolute madness that was the 7 of us, most normal trainers learned to keep their distance. I started taking names wherever I went, most of the time just from having Infernostar by my side. He just scared anyone that came across him, presumably from his firepower."

"I'm not going to lie, when I first saw him, I was afraid he came to burn the house down."

"Sounds about right. Though as you saw, he really isn't like that, it's just in battle that he lets loose."

"He seemed very formal when he was at the house. Though I can only imagine what he was like in battle." Lucy recalled seeing Judes old video of Infernostar against Lance's Dragonite, but was willing to bet that wasn't even the start of his power.

"Infernostar was never one to start conflicts. He was a peacemaker, but could VERY easily be a peacebreaker if he felt it was necessary."

More time passed while they walked. After a certain point Jude ran out of stories to share, so Lucy instead opted to talk about her own experiences. Jude listening intently, especially since he'd heard almost nothing about her life.

 _Huh, so that's what she did_ Jude thought. Lucy apparently used to live out in the woods herself, with her pack of Luxrays. Her family was recruited during the Revolution to assist in tracking down people, with Lucy staying after to help with the HAA. After the Revolution and before she met with Jude, she worked with people to keep them safe, promising them they wouldn't need to be afraid anymore.

"It was a long road to recovery for some people, but I did my best to reassure them. My only goal was to make sure people were happy." Lucy said. "Oh my, look at the sun!" She raised her paw and Jude's eyes followed where it pointed, towards the setting sun.

"Man, we've been out awhile" Jude said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, though it was nice to be able to learn more about one another. Despite you living with me for awhile, we really didn't know THAT much about each other."

"That is true. So, wanna head back?"

"Sure. Though I have a question for you."

"Lay it on me."

"Would you rather walk, or ride?"

"Excuse me?" Jude said, raising and eyebrow before Lucy kneeled down. It took him a moment to figure out what she was doing, before it clicked in his head. "Oh…uh, sure?"

Lucy giggled at his semi-confused response. "I just thought you might want to try something a bit different. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, its cool. I just wasn't expecting it." Jude took a second before walking over to Lucy, hesitating momentarily as he stepped over her.

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Then let's start" Lucy said, as she stood up, lifting Jude's legs off the ground. He put his arms on her back as she started to head back. Along the way they could overhear a few Pokémon who saw them, some giggling, some cooing.

"If this is too embarrassing for you, I can stop." Lucy said, picking up on the amount of attention they were drawing.

"N-No. It's fine. I just need to tune them out."

"Alright, if you say so." Lucy said, as she continued back to home.

Soon they made it back. Lucy kneeled down again, allowing Jude to get off. His face was a little red, but he shook it off rather quickly as they stepped inside.

"Sorry if that was a bit sudden" Lucy said. She had thought of that idea during the walk, she just wasn't sure how he'd react to it.

"Don't be. I enjoyed it, despite the attention that came with it." Jude said. It was true he hated the attention that came with it, but discounting that, it was honestly fun. It reminded him of when he used to do that with Infernostar when he was a Cyndaquil, and the reverse when he was a Typhlosion.

"Ok. Just needed to make sure."

The two of them had dinner soon after. They kept conversation a bit on the down low, since they basically spent the whole day doing that. After that it was time for bed, with Jude heading to his room.

"Night Mom, and thanks for today."

"Goodnight Jude." Lucy responded, before retiring to her own room, turning off the light in the process.

 _…_

The figure from before was back, this time outside the wall of Lucy's room.

"…Let's begin."


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37:**

It was the middle of the night. Both Jude and Lucy were asleep, each in their separate room.

Outside of their house, the figure stood. They had been there for quite some time, listening intently for any signs of movement. Once they felt that no one was awake, they started to move.

The figure moved slowly around the side of the house, before finding a window. They stared inside, gazing at the interior of the home, before suddenly disappearing from the outside. In the blink of an eye they appeared inside the house, in the same room they were looking at just a moment ago. The figure must have used Teleport, allowing them easy access inside the home without fear of being discovered.

They slowly inched through the home before reaching a closed door. The figure opened it, taking great care to not make a sound. Inside they could see Lucy, fast asleep in bed. They creeped up to her unconscious body, before coming to a stop by her head.

In the reflection of Lucy's alarm clock, the figures appearance was more visible. It was a Gardevoir, wearing a black dress, and a pair of sunglasses. It got down on its knees in front of Lucy's unconscious body before raising an arm at her head.

"It is time." They said, as their hand started to glow. "My client made it quite clear what they wanted, and I never let my client down."

 _?_

Lucy was lost within her dreams, letting her mind wander freely. She often found that letting her thoughts run freely was liberating, and as a result never tried to concentrate on any dreams. That all changed however, when she heard something in her head.

It was a voice. Not one she was familiar with, but a voice nonetheless.

 _"…_ _Lucy…"_

 _What? Who said that?_ She thought, trying to place that voice, but to no avail.

 _"…_ _Luuuuuuuuuuuuuucy…"_

 _Hello?_

 _"…_ _There is someone close to you… Who has been hiding their true feelings…"_

 _True…Feelings?_

 _"…_ _He hides them, with anger… But his heart says otherwise…"_

 _Anger…Is it Jude? What has he been hiding?_

 _"…_ _The truth is…He longs for it…"_

 _Longs…For what? If he needs something, I should help…_

 _"…_ _His true desire…To be treated like…a baby…"_

Lucy stirred in her sleep. The Gardevoir kept quiet, waiting for her to stop, before continuing.

 _Wait…That can't be right…He's never liked babying…_

 _"…_ _His mouth says no…But his heart says yes…Do you not recall…The ride you gave him?"_

 _…_ _That's right…He said he…liked it…despite the embarrassment…_

 _"…_ _That was just the beginning…He longs for the full package…To be treated like a baby…"_

 _But…wait…_

 _"…_ _He feels ashamed to admit it…You have to help him see that it is ok…Or else…"_

 _Or else? Or else what?_

 _"…_ _Or else…He may never truly be happy…"_

 _But…I want him to be…Happy…_

 _"…_ _Then you…Need to help him…See that it is ok…"_

 _For…Him to want…_

 _"…_ _To be treated…"_

 _…_ _Like a baby…_

 _"…_ _That's right…He just needs…A little push…"_

 _…_ _To let him know…That it is…ok…_

 _"…_ _To be treated…"_

 _…_ _Like a baby…_

 _"…_ _He thinks of you…As his mother…"_

 _So I should…Act like one…_

 _"…_ _It's for…His happiness…"_

 _His…Happiness…_

For the next several hours, The Gardevoir slowly worked. By the time they decided it was enough, they had filled Lucy's head to the brim with ideas. Their hand slowly lost the light around it, as they quietly stood up.

"That…was only the beginning." They said, before slowly making their way to the door. They stepped out of Lucy's room, silently closing the door behind them, before moving to the kitchen. They stopped at the fridge, opening it up and peering inside.

"From what I saw in there, he drinks these…" The Gardevoir reached into a satchel they had on their shoulder, pulling out a container filled with pills. They concentrated on some of the drinks in the fridge, before some of the pills in the container disappeared, soon reappearing inside of the drinks before dissolving.

"Enjoy." They said, before closing the fridge. The Gardevoir made their way back to the window they looked through earlier, and took a moment before Teleporting outside.

"…I'll be back to check your progress." They said, before silently sneaking off.

 _The next morning…_

Jude awoke to find that Lucy was already out. _Huh, someone is up early_ He thought. _That's supposed to be my job_. Laughing at his thought, he got out of bed and got changed into his regular outfit before stepping out of his room. He walked over to the kitchen where he found a note on the fridge.

 _Went out shopping for some things. I'll be back later. -Love, Lucy_.

"Hm, that's new. She didn't end off her notes like that before." Not bothering to continue with that thought, Jude instead opened up the fridge and pulled out one of his energy drinks.

"Bottoms up." He said, before chugging down the drink. Once he finished he wiped his mouth, took his jacket off, and started his morning routine. He got down in pushup position, using just one arm to hold himself up, and got to work.

"1, 2, 3, 4."

As he worked, something felt off to him. _Odd…I'm normally not this…tired…_ He stopped his routine and stood up, putting his hand to his mouth as he yawned.

"Jeez, I'm…really out of it today. Maybe I didn't…Sleep well last night…" Jude leaned against the couch for support, still yawning. _Man, I must not have slept a wink last night. Maybe I should…lie down_.

Not really thinking much about it, Jude laid down on the couch before soon slipping into a deep sleep.

Lucy soon returned hope. She had several bags on her back, full of supplies. _I need to be ready_ she thought, as she walked inside. She noticed Jude sleeping on the couch, and smiled before walking over to him.

"Aww, he's so cute when he sleeps" She said, as she looked over him. There was a large, dark stain on his grey pants, which she soon took note of. "Oh, that's not good. Someone had an accident. Well, we can take care of that soon enough." She said, as she carried her bags into Jude's room and got to work.

She was in there for a long time, before poking her head out to check on Jude. He was still asleep, out like a light on the couch.

"Don't worry. Soon you won't have to be afraid anymore." She said, moving back over to him, and turning him over with her paw. Lucy gently picked him up, and rested him on her back, as she moved towards his room.

"For now though, let's get you into something more comfortable." She said, as she walked inside.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38:**

Jude stirred in his sleep. He groggily opened his eyes to find that he was staring at the ceiling.

 _Ugggh, what happened?_ He considered moving, but he still felt out of it, so he decided against it. _Let's see…I was doing my routine…But I felt out of it, so I took a nap. But wait a minute, this doesn't feel like the couch…_

Jude raised his head up, and tried to get a feel for his bearings, when his eyes widened. _What the fuck? Where am I?_ He thought.

He was laying inside a large crib. The wooden bars on each side were raised, all the way up to the ceiling. Looking through the bars he saw opposite of him was a changing table, filled to the brim with supplies. On the other side of the room he could make out a playpen, which was littered with toys, and a baby bouncer facing a large mirror.

 _This better be a nightmare. A bad, BAD nightmare_ he thought, as he tried to get up. He removed the blanket that was over top of him, and let out a gasp. _Oh no…_

Instead of his grey pants and white shirt, Jude was dressed in a dark-red onesie. Seeing the bulge around his crotch area immediately told him he was diapered, and it was large enough to force his legs apart. Jude started hyperventilating when he realized the situation he was in.

 _No, No, No, NO, This can't be happening again!_ He tried to stand up, his legs trembling before giving way under his weight, causing him to land on his padded rear.

 _DAMMIT! Where did my strength go!?_ Jude started to panic as he looked around, frantically trying to find a way out of them. Then the door opened.

"Oh, I see you are awake"

Jude stopped dead in his tracks, dumbfounded by the voice he just heard. _It can't be…_ He fearfully turned his head, and to his horror, it was just who he thought it was.

It was Lucy.

"Y…You…" Jude sat there, completely baffled. _Sh…She…_

"Yes. I did do this. I know you are likely angry, or scared or afraid or anything else. But I want you to know that I did this for you." Lucy slowly moved over to the side of the crib, and turned her head to face Jude. Her gold eyes gazed into his red eyes, showing warmth and love like he'd never seen before.

Jude didn't respond, just gazing into her eyes, mouth hanging open out of sheer shock. Without saying a word, Lucy moved her tail over to the changing table and pulled something out of it. Before Jude could do anything she plopped a pacifier into his mouth, smiling at him the entire time.

"I just want you to know, I am doing this for you. You don't have to be scared." She left the room after that, not saying another word.

 _..._ Jude just sat there, his eyes facing the door.

 _…_ _I…Trusted…You…_

He was lost on what to do. The person he trusted enough to have adopt him, who he opened his heart to, just stabbed him in the back. She knew he despised babying, and yet here he was, dressed in baby clothes, with a pacifier, sitting in a crib.

Jude couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it. But he knew what he saw. His eyes started watering as he curled up in fetal position. Tears started to fall down his face as he sucked on his paci for comfort. _Why…Why would you do this to me…_

Lucy was out in the living room, setting up more things from her bags. _I know he's probably scared, but I am sure with time I can let him know it is ok._ She was determined to make Jude happy, and would stop at nothing to see that goal through. He would definitely be resistant, but she would do whatever it took to help him.

"Don't worry. I am doing this to make you happy." She quietly said to herself as she worked.

 _Some time later…_

After recovering from the realization of the situation, Jude tried to think of an escape plan. He racked his brain through all the possible options, but each one had a serious problem. He could call the police, but the problem there was that Lucy WAS the police. He could run away at the earliest opportunity, but that would just get him tracked down, and possibly stuck in a worse situation. He could even try escaping to where Infernostar was for safety, but he didn't know his address. The letter he'd received said he'd come by and guide them to his home.

"What am I going to do?" He said, as he sat up in his crib. There wasn't much he could do, especially since he had no idea where she had moved his backpack. Plus, the crib he was in was practically Jude-proofed, as the bars on each side where too heavy to move by himself, and went all the way to the ceiling, making it impossible to climb out.

 _Something isn't right here. She knows I hate babying, yet out of nowhere she goes full parent-mode on me. Is this really all her doing?_ He pondered that question for a bit, before he heard the door open.

"Alright my little kit, it's time for lunch." Lucy said, as she walked in. Jude watched her carefully, a look of suspicion in his eyes. _That's new as well. Addressing me as her kit, she's never done that before._ He watched with a raised eyebrow as she slowly lowered the bars on one side of the crib, before wrapping him in her arms. Jude decided against struggling, wanting to see where this situation would go before he tried to make a break for it. _Besides, I'm not exactly dressed to go running out by myself…_

Lucy lifted Jude out of the crib, before setting him down on her back. "Oh, did you want your paci?" Lucy asked, a touch of concern in her voice. Jude kept silent, but vigorously shook his head no. He spit that thing out after he calmed down earlier, and had no desire to use it whatsoever.

"Ok. Just let me know when you want your paci, and I'll go get it." With that she turned and walked out of his room to the living room, where Jude could see what she had done with the place.

 _My God…_

She'd done quite a bit of work on the place. The couch was still there, but it was pushed against the corner of the room in favor of a rocking chair. In front of it he saw a changing mat with some supplies scattered around it. Jude could see a high chair at the kitchen table, no doubt brought in just for him. In the kitchen most of the stuff from before was still there, but he also noticed that the corners of the counters were tapped down, presumably some form of baby-proofing.

Lucy headed over to the fridge and opened it up, giving Jude a chance to glimpse inside. Where his energy drinks were there was now an assortment of baby bottles, and where most of the food was there was now several jars of baby food. Though something that confused him, was that the bottles were filled with the same color liquid as his energy drinks.

Before he could work up the courage to ask, Lucy fished out a bottle from the fridge, and moved towards the rocking chair. She curled up in it, setting Jude down on her lap as they started to rock back and forth.

'Alright my little kit, drink up" She said with a smile, as she moved the bottle towards his face. Jude hesitated, before allowing her to put it up to his lips. "That's it, my little kit. You like your baba, don't you?" She cooed, as she started to feed him.

 _No, I don't. I just know I don't have a choice_ Jude thought, reluctantly letting her feed him. As he started to drain the bottle of its contents, he felt strangely tired. _Wait a minute…That was only 1 bottle…So why am I…so…_

Jude tried to fight it, but within moments he was out once more, causing Lucy to giggle. "Aw, someone is tired. It's hard work being a baby." She put him close to her body as she continued to rock back and forth. Without even thinking about it she reached over with her paw and moved his thumb into his mouth, which he quietly sucked on.

"You are just precious" She said as she kissed his forehead. Lucy was content to keep rocking, until she noticed a dark spot appear on the front of his crotch. "Ooo, it looks like someone needs a diapee change" She giggled, as she got up and laid him down on the changing mat.

"Let's get you all cleaned up, and then we can do something fun." She said as she got to work.

 _Meanwhile…_

Outside of the house was the Gardevoir, hiding in the shadows as they observed Lucy.

"Good work…Now keep it up…"

They would have continued to watch, if they hadn't noticed their phone light up. They answered it and held it up to their ear.

"Yes…Yes, as you requested…Of course…Yes, I will make sure to…Whatever you say…Ms. Swamps…"

 _Meanwhile…_

"There, all better" Lucy said as she stood up. She had just cleaned up Jude, and finished putting him into a fresh diaper, along with a dark blue shirt.

"And now that you are all clean, let's go do something fun" she said as she picked him up and turned to the door. Right next to the door was a large stroller, which she quickly set him down in. She strapped him snugly into place, and plopped another paci into his mouth before opening the door and stepping out.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39:**

Lucy smiled cheerfully as she walked, occasionally checking on Jude inside the stroller. Every so often she would be stopped by other Pokémon, who asked if they could see her baby, which she happily obliged. They would gleefully coo at him, commenting on how cute he looked sleeping, and how proud she must be to be his mother.

"Thank you" Lucy said, saying goodbye to another passerby. _My little kit is getting a lot of attention. I am sure if he was awake, he would be quite scared, but hopefully we can amend that one day_.

She walked a fair distance, before arriving outside of the park. "Here we are" She said to herself, as she pushed Jude in. She noticed a playground with a few people in it, and decided to head that way herself. She could see a few Pokémon on a bench, watching their children. There were both humans and Pokémon playing, though all the humans were dressed like babies.

"This could be fun." She said as she stopped by the bench, taking a moment to look over the playground. She saw a large playscape, a set of swings, and a small sandbox. Lucy thought about it for a moment before setting her sights on the swings.

"Let's have some fun, my little kit" She said, as she turned the stroller around. Jude was still fast asleep, sucking on his paci, causing Lucy to giggle. "Aw, you are just adorable while you are sleeping" She said, as she undid the stroller straps and set him down on her back.

Lucy made her way over to the swings. They were divided into two sets, one was the standard swing, with it just being the seat, while the other was made for babies, shaped like a half circle with two holes on the bottom for their legs.

Carefully taking Jude off her back, she set him down inside the baby-swing. His diaper fit snugly in the seat, holding him upright while his legs dangled over the ground. He unconsciously sucked on his paci while Lucy gently pushed on the swing.

Jude started to swing, albeit rather slowly while Lucy hummed to herself. She could see the other Pokémon parents looking over at her and Jude, commenting on how precious the scene was. She smiled with pride as she continued to push him.

Some time passed, and some of the other parents came and talked with her. A few of them thought her son was absolutely adorable, while some of the others suggested setting up playdates with their own little ones. Lucy enjoyed the conversation, and said she was more than willing to do some playdates with her son and their kids.

"He's just the cutest! You are lucky to have someone like him" One of the parents said.

"Why thank you! Your little one is also quite precious." Lucy commented politely.

"Oh you are too kind. Have you ever thought of entering him in a baby pageant? I am sure he could take the whole thing!"

Hearing that last comment, Lucy's expression changed to one of confusion. "Erm, no. I don't…think that is the best idea for him." Something about that comment felt wrong to her, like it reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite think of what it was. _Did I…enter him in a pageant before? If so, why does that feel like it wasn't right…_

"Aw, oh well. I hope I can see you again sometime!" The other parent said, before turning around and leaving.

"Bye…" Lucy trailed off as she stopped the swing. _…I feel like I am forgetting something…but what is it?_

 _Meanwhile…_

The Gardevoir was standing out by the restrooms, observing Lucy from a safe distance.

"Hm…Seems her mind is still resisting…No matter…We have plenty of time to fix that…"

Sensing some other Pokémon approaching, the Gardevoir used Teleport, and disappeared.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lucy placed Jude back in the stroller, securing him to the seat as he started to wake up. "Oh, morning sleepyhead" She said playfully as he opened his eyes.

 _…_ _Where are we?_ He thought, as he stared at Lucy. He tried to move his body, but felt stuck. He looked down and realized he was strapped into a stroller, and was dressed in just a t-shirt and diaper. He opened his mouth in shock, causing the pacifier to fall out onto the ground.

"Oops, we can't have that." Lucy said, reaching down and picking up the pacifier. Before Jude could argue with her she pushed it back into his mouth.

"You were out for a while little guy, you almost missed all the fun."

 _Fun!? What the fuck were you doing while I was out?!_ Jude's eyes widened in fear as Lucy patted his head with her paw.

"Don't worry, nothing bad happened. We are at the park currently, and I was just about to head back. Though since you just woke up, I thought you might want a chance to play."

 _NO._ Jude firmly shook his head in refusal, his eyes still wide. Lucy sighed at his response.

"No need to be shy. You might even make a new friend or two." Jude wanted to protest, but she kept her paw firm on his paci while she undid the straps and pulled him out of the stroller.

"Don't worry. I just want you to be happy." She said, as she set him down in the sandbox. "I'll be over on the bench if you need me." Jude raised his arms to try and stop her, but she'd already turned away from him.

 _Goddammit. This is the worst_ He thought, as he just sat there in frustration. Being at home and embarrassed, he could handle. Being out in public where anyone and everyone could see him be embarrassed, that he could not handle.

 _What the fuck did I ever do to deserve this shit!?_ He sighed with frustration as he contemplated what to do. He wouldn't be able to get very far if he tried to run, and just sitting there wouldn't help his situation either.

 _Ok, let's try and think about this rationally. My closest friend since getting hospitalized suddenly heel-faced turned and spit in my face. Would she do that of her own accord? Or is someone else responsible?_ Jude took a second to look around, when he noticed something

 _Wait a minute…_

He didn't keep his gaze on what he saw, but rather moved his gaze all over, only checking back a few times. Each time he passed by the restroom, he could make out the faint outline of a Pokémon, watching him from the shadows.

 _Found you._

Jude sighed with relief behind his pacifier. _Ok, so it wasn't an intentional backstab from her. Thank. God. For now though, I need to make that other one think I am not on to them_.

Realizing what that would entail, Jude sighed, taking a moment to compose himself. _Alright, this is gonna suck, but here we go._

The Gardevoir watched with intent as Jude started to move around in the sandbox. "We have movement." They said, watching as he got down on all fours, and crawled into the center, before sitting down on his padded rear. He sat there for a moment before grabbing a nearby pail and filling it with sand.

"Interesting" The Gardevoir commented. "He isn't cowering in fear despite being out in public…Either he has come to accept the treatment, or is doing it out of fear rather than cowering…"

The Gardevoir continued to watch as Jude started to work on a small sand castle. It wasn't much, just a few buckets of sand connected to one another, but just the fact that he wasn't trembling or showing fear kept their attention.

"…I may want to note this to my client…I was not expecting this…"

Jude felt embarrassed, but he pushed through regardless. _Let's give them a show_ he thought, grinning behind his pacifier, which he started to suck on. He didn't have a concrete plan on how to get out of this mess, but for now he was going to let the observer think they were in control.

 _You have no idea what kind of a beast you've unleashed. I may not be able to do much now, but when I get the chance…You'll be sorry._

 **Welp. Someone is gonna die.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40:**

Soon Lucy and Jude headed home. Jude kept the act up the entire time they were out, occasionally checking to see that the mystery Pokémon was still following them. To his relief, he was able to see that they were still watching.

 _So I can confirm, whoever that is has a hand in what is happening_ He thought as Lucy pushed his stroller towards home. He sucked on his paci as he tried to think about how he could take them down.

 _Hmmm. If I had to guess, they must be a psychic type. How else could they have made Lucy do all of this?_ He rubbed his head with his hand as he tried to imagine a plan, before the stroller came to a stop.

"Alright my little kit, we're home" Lucy said. She walked over to the door and unlocked it before pushing him inside. Once in she closed the door and unstrapped him from the stroller, setting him down on her back.

"You looked like you were having fun out there today. I can imagine you must be hungry" She said as she moved towards the fridge.

Jude nodded his head in agreement. Though he didn't have fun, he hadn't had food all day, and it was pretty late in the afternoon.

"Lets get you something yummy" Lucy said, as she pulled out a jar of baby food. _Oh great, I forgot about that_ Jude thought, as she moved over to the table.

She set the baby food down on the table and lifted Jude off her back, setting him down in the high chair. His diaper fit snugly in the seat, as his legs were pushed through their respective holes. For a second he thought that this wasn't too bad, until she lifted up a tray in the high-chair, which blocked his arms underneath it.

 _Oh come on, I can feed myself!_ Jude thought as Lucy opened the jar. She grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and scooped up some of the baby food into it.

"Let me help you with that" She said, plucking the pacifier out of his mouth, and setting it down on the tray. Jude considered saying something, when she shoved the spoonful of baby food into his mouth.

 _AW, SICK._ He thought, as he coughed it back out, spilling it on the tray and his face. _That was worse than the last time I was fed baby food!_

"Ooo, thanks for reminding me." Lucy said, stopping before she put the spoon back in the jar. She walked over to the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets. "Let's see…Ah! There it is" She said, pulling a bib out of the cabinet. She came back and tied it around Jude's neck before continuing to feed him.

 _Well fuck… At least I'm clean?_ He thought, as he got another spoonful of baby food for his troubles. This time he was able to keep it down, though he was less than thrilled about it.

Lucy slowly worked through the jar of baby food, eventually reaching its bottom. "There we go! All nice and full, right my little kit?" She said as she looked at Jude.

 _If you say so…_ Jude was starting to feel regret in his chest, though he did at least feel full. Lucy took a napkin and wiped his face off, as well as removed the bib from his neck. She lowered the tray and plopped his paci back into his mouth before lifting him out of his seat.

"Alright, it's playtime for you, my little kit." Lucy said, as she carried him to his room. When she entered, she lifted him off her back and down into the playpen. "Mommy is gonna have her own dinner now. I'll be back later." She said, before walking out.

 _…_ _That's the first time she has ever referred to herself as my mother_ Jude thought, spitting his paci out. He looked around at what was in the playpen as he contemplated what to do. There were some pokedolls, some blocks, and some plastic instruments strewn about the pen. Nothing useful. At least that he could think of.

"Ok, Gameplan time." Jude said, as he put his back against the wall of the pen. "Whoever that Pokémon is, they must be pulling the strings of the operation. I refuse to believe this was all Lucy's idea." He put his hand to his chin as he thought about what to do. "Psychic types can't directly mind-control someone, at least not in this day and age. They'd stand out immediately…"

Lucy sat in silence as she had dinner. _Why did that comment stick in my head?_ she thought. _Pageant…Pageant…I feel like I am missing something here…But what?_ She could swear that there was something she'd done that involved a pageant, but nothing came to her. _…Something isn't right._

"Ok, so there are two distinct possibilities." Jude said, raising two fingers on his hand. "The first, is that the Pokémon in question is hypnotizing Lucy to do this, presumably when she was out this morning, though it is possible it happened earlier. The second, is that they are not hypnotizing her, but rather awakening her…motherly instinct."

Jude shivered at that second one. _God I hope it isn't that, otherwise I am in trouble_. "So regardless of what I do, I'm going to have to play along, convince the instigator they are in control and I don't know why this is happening. Best case scenario that I can see, unfortunately, is to wait it out until the visit to Infernostar, who I know for a fact will not allow this."

 _Hopefully._ He trusted Infernostar with his life, but he also did that to Lucy, and look where that landed him. It wasn't her fault, at least, he hoped it wasn't, but the point still stood.

 _…_ _No, we've had experience with Psychic types in the past. He won't faulter._

Jude spent the rest of his time sitting there, contemplating if there were any other options. Sadly nothing came to mind, causing him to sigh. _I will find out why they did this, and make them pay_.

Some time passed, with Lucy soon entering the room. Expecting it to happen, Jude reached over and picked up his paci, sticking it in his mouth before she could. She lifted Jude out of the playpen, still lost in thought. _What is she thinking about_ Jude wondered, as she carried him over to the changing table. He'd used his diaper after dinner, aware that he wasn't getting out of them anytime soon sadly.

Lucy seemed unfocused while she changed him. She didn't coo or talk at him, she just stared off into space. Once she had a new diaper on him, she pulled his shirt off, and moved over to the dresser. After opening a few shelves she came back and raised an outfit, a yellow sleeper with a smiling Pikachu on the front. Within seconds she had it on Jude, zipping up the back.

Without saying another word she lifted him off the table, lowered the bars on the crib, and set him down inside. She tucked him in and raised the bars up before stepping out of the room, turning out the light behind her.

 _Hm. Whatever the instigator did to her I think might be wearing off._ Jude thought, as he laid down in the crib. _She seemed really out of it…Maybe that's a good thing?_ He decided he would sleep better not thinking about that too hard, and instead decided to rest, quietly sucking on his paci.

 _…_

Lucy laid in bed, fast asleep. Within her thoughts she was debating with herself, trying to find answers.

 _There has to be a reason why that word stuck…Now what did I do that involves the word Pageant?_ She tried her hardest to find an answer, when she heard something else in her head.

" _…_ _Luuuuuuuuucyyyyyyy…"_


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41:**

The next morning, Lucy got up with a start. She poked her head into Jude's room to check on him. She looked at his sleeping body through the bars of the crib, where she noticed a stain in the blanket. _Someone needs to be cleaned up_ She thought, as she lowered the bars of the stage and lifted him out of the crib and onto the changing table.

She unzipped the back of his sleeper, quietly taking it off before opening up his diaper. "Let's get you all nice and clean little one" She cooed, as she got to work. Soon she had him all cleaned up, with a fresh diaper to replace the old one. Lucy giggled as she looked at him sleep, still sucking on his paci, in just a diaper.

"You look so precious in just a diapee. Though let's get you in something else to warm you up." She searched through the dresser to find something suitable, before spotting just the thing. "Ooo, this will look great on you!" She said, pulling out a grey and white striped baby romper. She struggled to get him into it for a bit, but was soon able to put it on him.

 _Now, what was it I was so worried about last night?_ She wondered. She recalled conversing with some of the parents in the park yesterday, but couldn't recall what it was that stood out to her. _Oh well, I'm sure it was nothing._

"Now lets get mister sleepyhead out to the kitchen for some breakfast." She said quietly, carrying Jude out into the kitchen. She set him down in his high-chair, raising the tray up before moving to the fridge. When she came back with some fresh baby food and a bottle, she noticed him starting to wake up.

"Good morning my little kit. You had an accident last night, but don't worry. Mommy took care of the mess."

 _Yeah yeah…Good morning to you to…_ As Lucy took the pacifier out of his mouth, Jude yawned, trying to stretch his arms but stopping when he realized he was in the high-chair. Seizing the opportunity, Lucy stuck some baby-food into his mouth, causing him to almost choke on it.

 _That wasn't an invite!_ He thought, as he barely kept the mush in his mouth before swallowing. He was about to complain before getting another spoonful jammed into his mouth. He couldn't get a single word in until Lucy had emptied the jar, and by then he was burping like mad.

"Please… *burp* …No more… *burp*"

"Ok, but only because you asked nicely" Lucy said, taking the empty jar and going to throw it away. Jude managed to get the burping under control, when he felt a sudden pain in his rear.

 _Wait, what the hell?!_ The pressure that was building in him was immense, and he couldn't hold it in a moment longer. _What was in that food!?_ He thought, as he messed his diaper.

 _Ok, I had guessed that the bottles had some sort of sleeping pill, but what the FUCK was in that baby food!?_ He sat there for a solid minute, unable to stop as he continued to mess his diaper. By the time Lucy came back, he had thoroughly soiled the diaper, which she quickly took note of.

"Oh wow, you really had to go, didn't you? Well, that's ok. It happens."

 _It happens maybe, but that was NOT natural_ Jude thought as Lucy plopped his paci back in, which he started to suck on. She quickly carried him over to the changing mat, and laid him down on it before removing the baby romper. Not wasting any time, she stripped the dirty diaper off him, and thoroughly cleaned his lower body.

"Let's see what we can do to make that smell go away, alright sweetie?" She said happily, as she sprinkled baby powder around his crotch region. She pushed a fresh diaper under him, taping it shut as she walked away, heading into Jude's room.

 _…_ _When the hell did she add laxatives to the baby food?_ Jude thought as he nursed his paci. _That didn't happen last night, and I'm pretty sure the jars are vacuum sealed…Unless…_

"Alright my little kit, it's time to get dressed!" Lucy said cheerfully as she returned, carrying another outfit on her back. She sat down beside him and took the outfit off her back to show him, a baby blue onesie with a matching bonnet. She hastily shoved him into it, tying the bonnet onto his head.

"Now, normally Mommy would have to go to work right about now, but don't worry. Mommy called in yesterday and requested some time off so we could be together! Isn't that wonderful?"

 _Oh fuck. I'm not getting a break from this at all_. Jude thought, as he was suddenly wrapped into a hug. "Don't your worry your precious little head. I am going to make sure you have a great time! How does that sound?"

 _Well, if I didn't know you were currently being controlled by an asshole…Actually no it still doesn't sound good_.

The rest of the day after that was mostly just a drag. Jude refused to drink from any of the bottles Lucy offered him, not wanting to get knocked out for several hours again. As a payoff however, he had to be awake through demeaning, baby activities with Lucy.

Thankfully it wasn't too bad, since Jude played along to avoid raising suspicion by whoever was pulling the strings. And, though he would never say it, he did enjoy it a little. Getting showered with praise by Lucy just for spelling their names with blocks, being read to while she cradled him in her lap, and having Lucy snuggle around him while they watched some tv, was genuinely enjoyable.

After finishing those activities, Lucy pulled out his paci and shoved a baby bottle into his mouth. "Drink up my little kit, you must be thirsty." Jude tried to argue, but Lucy wouldn't take no for an answer. Reluctantly he nursed from the bottle, drinking most of it before the drowsiness that came with it showed up again.

 _Not…again…_ With that he was out like a light, not even finishing the bottle. Lucy smiled as she removed the bottle and placed his paci back in. "There we go. Sweet dreams my little kit." Lucy yawned herself as she curled up around him, soon drifting off to sleep herself.

 _…_

A few hours passed, the two of them asleep on the couch. It would have been a rather peaceful sight, until the Gardevoir teleported into the room.

"…She's unconscious…" They said, as they looked at Lucy. They moved their attention to Jude before adding "…He is…Surprising…"

The Gardevoir was not sure what to do. Their client made it quite clear to make Lucy treat Jude like a baby as hardcore as possible, but whenever she saw him, he looked like he was enjoying it.

"…You weren't supposed to have fun with it…"

The target decided not to stop that thought, instead moving over to the fridge. They opened it up before pulling out more jars of baby food from the satchel it was carrying. It placed those and a few new bottles in before pulling out a box of laxatives. Concentrating on the new jars, the laxatives disappeared and reappeared in the jars, ready whenever Lucy opened them.

"…That takes care of her supplies…Now what to do about him…"

The Gardevoir stood there for a moment, before getting down on its knees, and putting its hand up to Jude's head. Its hand glowed as he continued to suck on his paci, blissfully unaware of what was happening.

"…Let's see what goes on…Inside your head…"

 **Uh Oh.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42:**

There was darkness. A thick, layer of hazy blackness engulfed everything in sight.

"…What is this place?" The Gardevoir said, as they checked their surroundings. They had no idea what sort of place Jude's inner thoughts would be, but it seemed like they weren't about to find out easily.

"Hmmmm, there must be something around here." They said, trying to make out something, anything through the haze, but to no avail. "What kind of a human is so protective of their thoughts?"

"A kind that doesn't take lightly to intruders."

"!" The Gardevoir stayed silent, trying not to draw attention to themselves.

"If you thought you were being subtle, you weren't. I recommend leaving, NOW."

 _Hm. He's a lot smarter than I was expecting_ the Gardevoir thought. _But how was he able to find me in his head so easily?_

"You're still here. I said, LEAVE" The area around the Gardevoir started to rumble, as it suddenly felt like the temperature was rising.

 _Uh oh. I need to get out of here before he wakes up_ They thought. The Gardevoir concentrated for a moment, before opening their eyes back in the real world, the light in their hand fading. Jude stirred in his sleep, his fists curled up.

"…So he does know it isn't her doing…but he doesn't know who I am…I might be able to use that to my advantage." Realizing that Jude would wake up soon, they turned to the window and teleported out. _You may have won this battle, but the war is all but mine._

Not long after, Lucy and Jude woke up, and continued with their mother-son day. Jude had wet his diaper during the nap, which Lucy quickly changed. After that she strapped him into his high-chair and aimed it at the tv, turning on some educational shows before going into her room for something.

Jude didn't pay any attention to the show, but continued to suck on his paci as he thought. _Well, they tried to enter my head, and I gave them what for…I have the feeling that won't be the last time they try that._ Hearing another voice in his head wasn't something he could necessarily stop, but he knew exactly how to keep them from seeing what he was thinking.

 _No one gets to see what I dream about_.

The rest of the day went by rather fast. Jude was fed lunch and dinner, both times using his diaper, which only cemented in his head that the perpetrator added laxatives to the food. After that, Lucy took him into the bathroom and ran a warm bath for him. She wouldn't let him wash himself, doing all the scrubbing herself, until she proclaimed he was 'clean as a whistle'.

Once she was convinced that Jude was clean, she dressed him in a black sleeper, and carried him into his room, setting him down in the crib. "Sweet dreams my little kit." She said, kissing his forehead before raising the bars and leaving.

"Hm, someone is ahead of schedule." Jude said to himself, spitting out his paci as he sat up. It was only 8pm, far earlier than yesterday. _Maybe the perpetrator has something to do with it…I wonder if things will escalate the more time passes?_

Lucy was quietly reading in her bed, smiling to herself. _That was a great day_ she thought. _I hope my little kit had as much fun as I did. After all, this was our first step towards his happiness._ Reaching a stopping point in her book, she closed it, setting it down on her nightstand before drifting off to sleep.

It wasn't long until the Gardevoir was back again, this time carrying a few boxes with them. After making sure that both Jude and Lucy were asleep, they teleported inside.

"It's time for the next battle…"

 _The Next Morning…_

"Wake up sweetie, we have so much to do today!" Jude groaned as he opened his eyes, seeing Lucy already lowering the bars in his crib. _Someone is excited_ he thought, as she lifted him out of the crib.

"Aw, you made it through the whole night without an accident! I'm so proud of you!" Lucy said, setting him down on the changing table. Soon she had him out of the sleeper, and moved to his dresser to retrieve a new outfit. "Oh, this one would be just precious!" She squealed, showing a new outfit to Jude.

 _Well, that's new_ Jude thought, as he looked up from the changing table. Lucy was holding a Shinx onesie in her paws. Not the Shinx jacket he'd seen before, but a onesie. The top half of it was blue, with sleeves ending in pawlike gloves, with gold circles around the wrists. Attached to the top was a hood with big blue ears, and a strange opening in the top of it. The bottom half was all black, with paw-like socks at the bottom. On the backside he noticed a little black tail, which ended in a little golden star, that for some reason had a hole in the center of it.

"Now you really will be Mommy's little kit!" She said excitedly, as she dressed him in the onesie. Once he was snug in the outfit, she flipped the hood up over his head, and grabbed some of his hair with her paw. He was about to ask what she was doing when he felt her pull it through the hole at the top. "Aw, your little mane is coming in, my little Shinx!" she said, before going over to his crib and grabbing his paci. She grabbed his tail and attached the pacifier to it before plopping it into his mouth.

 _Huh, so that's what the hole was for_ Jude thought, as Lucy picked him up by the scruff of the onesie. She gingerly carried him out of the room towards the door, where he noticed something.

 _Wait a second, that wasn't there before_ Jude thought, noticing something by the door. Where the stroller usually was, there now stood a baby blue pram, practically coated in frills. _Seems to me whoever was in my head yesterday is hellbent on trying to make me suffer._ _Unfortunately for them, they won't get a reaction from me._

Jude also realized that Lucy was dressed much differently than usual. Every time he'd seen her off work she wore a casual shirt and jeans, but today she was wearing a sundress, and a big white hat. Honestly if he didn't know better, he'd think it was a different Luxray.

Lucy set Jude down inside the pram, pulling the straps inside it over his body. "Gotta make sure you are nice and snug little one" She cooed. Jude just stared at her, sucking on his tail-paci rather than trying to respond. The pram was built differently than the stroller was, as Jude was laying flat on his back, facing towards Lucy, with a cover over his head. Lucy reached down near his feet and pulled a blanket up over his body.

"Gotta make sure my little Shinx is nice and warm. Now let's head out, I have some errands to run." Lucy said, opening the door, and pushing the pram out. She started down the street, smiling at Jude as she watched, who continued to suck on his tail-paci.

Jude couldn't see where they were going, since he was facing Lucy. He couldn't move his body because of the straps, so he decided to just continue to fake enjoying it. He smiled gleefully behind his tail-paci as he sucked on it, closing his eyes so he didn't have to see Lucy's reaction, though her occasional cooing told him exactly what was going on.

After a while, Lucy came to a stop, and Jude opened his eyes. She removed the blanket and undid the straps on him, before picking him up out of the pram. He used this opportunity to look around and noticed that they were in front of the grocery store. _Ah, so you think bringing me to a public place will embarass me? Well, you're right, but you won't get to see anything from me._

Lucy walked inside, carrying Jude in her paws, grabbing a shopping cart. She opened up the front of it and sat Jude down in the cart, his diaper fitting snugly while his legs dangled out holes in the front. Since he was pretty much locked into place, Lucy started to push the cart through the store, gleefully smiling at Jude, who just sucked on his tail-paci.

 _The good thing about this is that I don't have to talk to anyone with this in my mouth_ Jude thought. As Lucy pushed him through the aisles, several Pokémon turned and cooed at how cute the two of them were together, which he just ignored.

"I just knew you'd stand out in your outfit, my little kit" Lucy cooed, as she grabbed some stuff from the aisles. Jude didn't bother answering, figuring it'd be safer to just sit there and zone out. Though after walking through a few aisles, something caught his attention.

There was a Scizor standing in one of the aisles, looking at an array of cans. It was wearing a dark grey suit, and had a claw up to its face. _Wait a minute…Baron?!_

Jude decided to test this real fast before the opportunity got away. When Lucy pushed the cart to the side, moving away to check one of the walls, Jude started tapping on the cart in morse code, to see if he could get a response. "Baron?" He tapped.

The Scizor heard the noise, and started looking around, trying to figure out what was causing it, before he noticed Jude. He practically double-taked when he saw Jude, who blushed as a result. "Jude?" He said, causing Jude to nod his head.

'Wh-What the hell happened?"

"Long story. Lucy, my guardian, got hypnotized into thinking that I wanted to be treated like a baby." Jude tapped in response.

"Well shit. Do we have any idea who it is?"

"Not sure. Realized they must have been hired to do it to embarrass me. I've been working overtime to fake enthusiasm with it."

"Ouch. So what's the plan of attack?"

"I have no idea. For now I've been forced to play along until we visit you guys at base. If I get that far, I need some help fixing her head."

"Can do. I'll inform the others. Though not gonna lie, you do look kinda cute like that."

"Oh fuck off."

"I kid, I kid. Good luck sir." With that Baron turned and walked off, as Lucy returned to the cart, and dropped some groceries into it.

"Come along, my little Shinx." Lucy said, as she continued to push the cart. Jude smiled, for once with actual excitement, as he sucked his tail-paci.

 _Oh you fool. You gave me the perfect opening_ He thought.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43:**

Once down getting groceries, Lucy and Jude left the store to wander about town. After resecuring Jude to the pram, Lucy pushed him down the street, giggling to herself. Jude figured it was about him and his Shinx onesie, and continued to zone out while sucking on his tail paci.

Meanwhile, the Gardevoir was watching them, standing behind a corner. "How is he able to keep calm about this?" They said. "My client said to freak them out, not to make them enjoy it!?" The Gardevoir rubbed their forehead as they tried to figure out what to do next. That was when they noticed a nearby store.

"…Hmmmm, that might work. But not now."

 _Some time later…_

"Alright my little Shinx, we're home!" Lucy announced. Jude opened his eyes and took his tail-paci out of his mouth. He'd taken a nap during their trek around town, preferring to sleep through any action that may have occurred.

Lucy pushed the Pram inside, and gently lifted Jude out of it. His eyes widened as he looked around. _This is not the same house I was in this morning_.

Somehow, the place had been made even more juvenile. The couch was flat out gone, with just a baby bouncer and the rocking chair in its place. The high chair was now adorned with baby blue frills, and the floor was littered with baby toys.

 _You know, this isn't so much embarrassing as it is hilarious how much of a tryhard you look like_ Jude thought, smirking as Lucy set him down in the high-chair, raising the tray up. After a quick lunch of baby food that made him mess his diaper, Lucy had him changed and set him down in the baby bouncer, plopping his tail-paci back in.

"You just wait right there sweetie." Lucy said, making him start bouncing before turning and heading to the bathroom. Jude decided to just let it happen, feeling his body spring up and down as he pretended to giggle with glee. _You aren't gonna get any negative reactions from me, I hope you realize that_ he thought.

Lucy soon returned, and the two spent their time after that watching some tv, Jude in the baby bouncer and Lucy in the rocking chair. Occasionally Lucy would lean over with her tail and tickle Jude's stomach, causing him to giggle.

It wasn't long before Jude started to dose off. Lucy took notice of this, and took him out of the baby bouncer, carrying him into his nursery. There was another thing different about his room as well, with the crib being replaced with a bassinet, once again adorned with baby-blue frills, and a mobile spinning above it. Jude payed it no mind, too tired to care as Lucy tucked him in, kissing his cheek.

"Sweet dreams my little Shinx" She whispered, before making her way out. Jude simply nodded his head before closing his eyes, sucking on his tail-paci as he drifted off to sleep.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Surely you can't be serious"

"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."

"Well then we need to get down there and do something about it!"

"We can't do something about it unless we catch the instigator of the whole mess."

"Then what _can_ we do?"

"Unfortunately, we're going to need to wait for our chance to strike. If we can catch the one responsible, Artemis can fix what she did to Lucy, and you can go to town on them"

"I suppose that works…But I can't stand not being able to do something for him."

"I know Infernostar. Cause I wanted to do something too. For now, let's get a gameplan ready for them."

"Alright. Thanks for telling me about this Baron."

 _Meanwhile…_

While Lucy was in her room, the Gardevoir appeared in Jude's nursery. He was sound asleep, sucking his tail-paci.

"How can you show such glee at what you fear most?" It said, as it raised its arm to his head. Their hand glowed as they closed their eyes, taking a deep breath before entering Jude's subconscious.

Once again, it was pitch black. The Gardevoir couldn't see anything, just like their first visit. Though this time they tried something different. They didn't try to see, but to feel.

Without saying a word, they took a step forward. Then another, and then another. They kept moving, remaining as quiet as possible. The Gardevoir didn't bother trying to search for anything, just moving forward in silence.

After traveling in the darkness for some time, they heard something. It was the sound of footsteps, moving quite fast in the distance. The Gardevoir slowly followed the noise, keeping silent.

 _You thought you could keep your thoughts from me._

Soon, something came into sight, eventually with the Gardevoir walking into it. It was a lush, green forest, filled to the brim with massive trees. The Gardevoir heard the footsteps from before, along with additional footsteps, even closer this time.

 _You have no idea what I am capable of_.

They stepped behind one of the trees, listening to the footsteps come closer. They turned their head towards where they heard the noise, waiting to see who was making the noise. Surprisingly, they didn't see anything in front of them, but the sounds kept getting louder.

 _Where are you…?_

That was when the Gardevoir looked up. They saw a young boy leap clean over them, with an ensemble of Pokémon following behind him. The Gardevoir noted a Scyther, a Golbat, a Skarmory that was carrying a Lanturn, an Umbreon, and a Quilava.

The boy was wearing a white shirt with grey pants. He had shaggy blonde hair, and his eyes shined with a bright red. As he leaped from branch to branch, the Pokémon followed suite, the 7 of them moving in perfect sync.

 _Hellooooooo…What have we here?_

The Gardevoir watched, not moving from their spot. As the boy leaped onto a rather frail branch, it snapped, causing him to fall to the ground. He landed on his feet and rolled to absorb the shock, as the other Pokémon dropped down as well.

"You should have been more careful" The Umbreon said, looking over the boy for injuries.

"Oh relax! I'm just fine." The boy said, dusting off his pants.

"He's right Arty. You don't need to fret over him so much" The Skarmory chimed in.

"Well excuse me for caring about the boy who saved my life, ConCord!"

"It's ok Arty. I know you mean well" The boy said, suddenly embracing her. "I want to thank you for that."

"Aww, looks like you aren't such a tough guy when you are around those care about" The Lanturn adding, hopping into the Scyther's blades, who scrambled to hold onto it without accidentally hurting it.

"Oh be quiet, Current." The boy said, glaring at the Lanturn as his eyes burned with power, though the smirk on his face suggested he was less than serious.

The group laughed in response before continuing their trek. Though one of them stayed behind from the rest of the pack. It was the Quilava, who was looking around, as though it was searching for something.

"…Is something wrong, brother?"

"We have an unwanted guest."

As soon as the words left its mouth, the ground starting shaking. The Gardevoir could feel sweat coming down its forehead, sensing the temperature rising.

 _Shoot, looks like time is up_. Without wasting time they concentrated before returning to the real world, and immediately teleporting away.

Jude did not get up after that. Instead he laid in the bassinet, tears streaming down his face. He was conscious, but did not open his eyes, running a single, solitary thought through his head.

 _How. Dare. You._


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44:**

The next day, Jude's fake enthusiasm was much more mellow. He kept his acting to a minimum, too distracted by his own thoughts to really pay attention.

 _You son of a bitch. NO ONE is allowed to see my past. I will make you PAY._ Jude aggressively sucked his tail-paci, using that to filter out his anger.

Currently he was being rocked back and forth in the rocking chair by Lucy. She'd woken him up early after noticing he'd wet his diaper, and after a quick change decided it was time to snuggle. As she rubbed her head against his, he heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, I was wondering when they'd get here!" Lucy said excitedly, moving Jude over to his baby bouncer and pressing it down before going to the door. Jude raised an eyebrow in suspicion before she opened the door, where he spit out his tail-paci.

"Mom! I was waiting for you!" Lucy said, hugging her mother as the two stepped in.

"Why thank you Lucy! I was just…about…" Maria trailed off when she caught site of Jude. He blushed heavily as he was unable to stop the baby bouncer he was currently in.

"Oh my goodness, he's so CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!" Maria ran over and bear-hugged Jude, nearly knocking him over. She rubbed her head against his, occasionally licking his face as he desperately tried to get her to stop.

"I know, right? I went full force, and I think he turned out rather adorable!" Lucy responded, walking over, and pulling Maria away from him. "Though he isn't quite comfortable out in public like this yet. I'm working on that part."

"Oh, please let me rock with my grandkit!" Maria said excitedly, as Lucy nodded for her to go ahead. She lifted Jude out of the bouncer and curled up around him in the rocking chair, still nuzzling his face.

"I'll be right back. You two get comfortable and then we can chat." Lucy said, turning and heading into the bathroom. The moment she closed the door, Maria turned Jude and looked him right in the eyes.

"Alright. Which one of you is being manipulated?"

Jude sat there in shock for a second. _Holy shit, that was fast._ "It's her" He responded. "I've been stuck like this for a few days, and Arceus only knows how much longer. All I know is that it's a Psychic type, and some friends of mine we are visiting soon are aware of what's going on, and are working on a counterattack. Now, how did you figure this out so fast?"

"Lucy isn't the type to force anything. She lets things happen naturally, nice and slow so they actually feel like the change mattered. The moment I heard her say she went full force, I knew something was wrong."

Jude sighed with relief. _Thank God, the more help I can get, the merrier_. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Don't mention it sweetie. Though you and I both know I need to 'play along' to convince whoever is behind this I don't know what is happening." Maria said, causing Jude to gulp in fear. "And you know what that means my little grandkit" She said happily, going back to nuzzling his cheek.

 _Oh you son of a…Goddammit._ Jude groaned in defeat, realizing that Maria was gonna ride this for all it was worth. Using her tail, she reinserted his tail-paci, which he begrudgingly sucked on, knowing full well he'd need to keep up the act as well.

Soon Lucy came back, awwing at the site of the two of them in the rocking chair. She talked with Maria for a bit, commenting on how, quote "Her precious little kit" was coming along.

"He seems to finally be starting to accept it, just as I had hoped." She said happily. "Soon we may be able to move on to the next level."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Maria asked, tickling Jude's nose with her tail. He sneezed, knocking the tail-paci out of his mouth, with Maria quickly reinserting it, still rocking in the chair.

"Well…He hasn't exactly been enrolled in school yet, so…"

"You want to enroll him in school? I don't know, he's pretty smart for someone his age. And I get the feeling school wouldn't exactly do him any favors…" Maria winked at Jude as she said that, causing him to smile. _Thanks_ he thought.

"It wasn't so much for that. I won't be able to watch him all the time once I have to go back to work. So I thought enrolling my little kit would cover me on that front, as well as give him more chances to socialize."

 _That's your plan to embarrass me?_ Jude thought. _Uhhh, the most that would do is bore me to death._ School never did much for Jude as a person. Before he was a trainer, school was a thing his parents tried on him, though he was too far ahead of the curve to really care about what was going on.

"Hmmm. I don't know if that is a good idea. My grandkit doesn't seem like the type to listen to others if they bore him. Though I do want to know, which level are you considering enrolling him in?"

"At infantile level, of course." Lucy responded. After the Revolution, Pokémon could enroll their children into whatever type of classroom they wanted. This allowed them to choose ones that fit their age, or those more suitable for babies. "It's how I plan to raise him from now on, so it makes sense."

"I see…" Maria was at a loss on what to do. She may personally enjoy the idea of babying humans, but whatever that unknown agent did to Lucy was going a bit too far. _Just what does that Pokémon have planned for my grandkit? There must be some sort of reason for all of this._

The two continued to talk while Jude zoned out, not risking taking part in the discussion. Maria quickly learned just how far Lucy's babying had gone, and more than once nearly spit-taked at what she would say.

After a certain point, Jude decided he'd rather be alone than listen to the two. He pretended to fall asleep, causing Lucy and Maria to tuck him in for a nap. The moment they left the room, he spit out his paci, sat up, and listened in on the conversation through the wall, running through plans in his head.

 _Let's see. I have Maria on my side now, as well as the team. I just need to figure out how to catch that Pokemon…_

"So, what all is your end goal with this? If you don't mind me asking that is?" Maria needed to know what Lucy was planning, if anything, and felt asking was the most direct approach.

"Well…I had a bit of an idea…Though I don't plan on doing it for a good long while."

 _Oh? What do we have here?_

"And what would that be exactly?"

"The idea was…I was considering looking for some more…Like minded Pokémon. Those who could see their children's hidden desires to be treated like babies. Possibly even join with them to help humans discover what they truly want."

"Oh…My…GOD." Jude fell over in the bassinet in disbelief. The thought clicked in his head the moment he heard 'Like minded Pokémon'. _So YOU'RE the ones responsible for this mess. I thought I was done with your 4 fucks before…_ He curled his fists as his red eyes burned with a newfound energy, glowing with anger.

 _Alright you MUPIC freaks…You want to make my Mom one of you…I don't think so._

 **Thanks to Sky Hooves for the inspiration behind the basis for this chapter.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45:**

Days flew by as Jude waited patiently for their visit to Infernostar. Maria was able to convince her that he didn't need to be enrolled in school, at least for the time being. He silently thanked her for that, knowing full well he wouldn't have been able to survive the embarrassment of being enrolled in a school built for babies.

For the most part, he was able to keep embarrassment in check. Lucy's hypnotic efforts to demean him through babying varied across the days, but he was able to fake his way through it. From being taken to a local pool practically buried in pool floaties, to getting pushed around town in the pram some more, and even almost getting entered in another baby Pageant, it was pretty stressful. Luckily, he was able to distract her long enough to miss the deadlines for signups, much to her disappointment.

Today was the day they were due to visit Infernostar, but unfortunately, Lucy had apparently decided that she wanted to do one last stroll around town with Jude before that. Pushing him around in the pram, she smiled with pride, whistling a tune while Jude stayed quiet. He was dressed in his Shinx onesie once again, but had decided against sucking on his paci, feeling he was getting too used to having it.

 _Only a little bit more of this to get through, and then the hunt will begin_ He thought. _Once I am out of this and we snap her out of this, you'll wish you were never born._

The Gardevoir was watching the two stroll through town, rubbing their head in irritation. For the past few weeks, they'd seen almost no reaction out of Jude that wasn't positive, and it was driving them bonkers. _If you don't show embarrassment, then I didn't do my job well enough._ They were running out of options, before spying a store they'd seen before.

 _Desperate times call for desperate measures_ They thought, snapping their attention to Lucy, and raising their hands, both of which started to glow.

"Hmmmmmm" Lucy turned their head to the side suddenly. "…why didn't I notice that place before? I think we need to drop by there my little kit!"

 _Huh? What place?_ Jude thought, trying to get a visual, but still not able to see anything in the pram. He felt a slight bump, as well as a door open up, as Lucy stepped inside.

"Hello! And welcome to _L'enfant Précieux_!"

 _Oh fuck._ Jude gulped with fear as Lucy started talking with whoever welcomed them in. He didn't need to know the language to understand that they were in a store catering to babies, and he was already afraid of what she could find.

"Yes please! I want to find something EXTRA special for my precious little kit to wear today!"

"Oh, of course miss! Follow me!"

Jude was getting more scared by the second based on that conversation. He saw the pram get pushed through another doorway, as Lucy reached inside and lifted him out. She set him down on a changing table, for once allowing him to sit up and see where they were.

They appeared to be in a sort of dressing room. The room was rather small, with the changing table taking up the main center of it. Lucy was standing in the doorway out into the rest of the store, where Jude could barely make out some of the items inside, each one more degrading than the last.

 _Good God, how do you people keep making these things worse!?_

Lucy not even moving was the creepy part. She just stood there, watching him with the most deceptive smile he'd seen in awhile. It wasn't forced, but he knew she had no _real_ passion behind it.

"Ma'am, I believe I found something you might like." The attendant said, out of sight.

Lucy turned her attention to the attendant. "OOOOOOOOO, this will look just ADORABLE on my little kit!"

 _Oh great. Here we go…_

 _Hours Later…_

"…Alright. Game time." Infernostar knocked on the door, waiting for Lucy to answer. He was concerned about just how far she may have gone with babying Jude, given what he'd heard from Baron. _I will free you, partner_ He thought, as the door opened.

"Ah, Infernostar! Is it time already?"

"Yes. Is my partner ready?"

"Well I believe so. Just let me go get him." She turned and walked out of sight, giving Infernostar a moment to psych himself up. _Ok. Just relax. It won't be so ba_

Infernostar nearly gasped at what he saw. Lucy pushed a large pram out of the doorway, passing by him, and giving him a full view of what she'd done to Jude.

 _Fucking Lord, that's hideous!_

Jude was adorned head to toe like a newborn. On his head was a lacy baby bonnet which was tied in a prefect bow under his chin. He had a thick pacifier jammed into his mouth, that looked like he couldn't even spit it out if he wanted to. His hands were buried in large mittens, one of which had a big pink rattle cramped into its grip. The rest of the outfit was even worse, an oversized, Shinx bunting bag which buried his legs and completed constrained his lower body. There was also a massive bulge around his crotch from the huge diaper he was wearing, which reeked of baby oil and powder.

 _…_ _I think I am gonna be sick._

"So, ready to go?" Lucy said, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary for her. Infernostar took a moment to recompose himself, only slightly glancing at Jude. Jude looked about ready to curl up and die, but his red eyes still burned with emotion, clearly showing one of destructive intent.

 _Ok good. He's still ready to fight._

"Follow me." Infernostar turned and started walking, with Lucy pushing the pram after him. _Alright team. Let's do this._

They walked for some time, until they arrived on the outskirts of the city. They came to a stop in front of a 2-story grey building, surrounded by large trees. Infernostar stepped up to the door, knocking on it three times. A small slit in the door opened up.

"Who is the one that knocks?" Someone said on the other side.

"One who has looked death in the eye, and punched it in the jaw."

"Y-Yes sir. Welcome back Infernostar." The slit closed as the door opened up, revealing a Crobat on the other side. "… _Ahem_ , you must be Lucy. Please, come in."

Lucy pushed her pram inside, Jude's jammed body not moving. The moment she and Infernostar stepped in fully, the Crobat closed the door behind them. "Pardon me for asking this, but can I speak to you privately for a moment?" He said to Lucy.

"Oh, um…sure." Lucy said, reluctantly letting go of the pram. _Thanks, Alucard_ Infernostar thought, as he took her upstairs. Infernostar waited a moment before hearing a door upstairs click.

"Let's get you out of that horrible thing." Infernostar said to Jude, who tried to smile behind the massive pacifier. He picked Jude up over his shoulder, and swiftly moved over to his own room.

Infernostars room appeared rather barren. All it had was a bed in the center and a dresser by the door. He set Jude down on the bed, who got to work stripping off the degrading outfit, while Infernostar started shuffling through the dresser. He found what he was looking for and turned back to Jude, who was already halfway out of the outfit, now just struggling to get the diaper and mittens off.

"Allow me." Infernostar said, hastily ripping the mittens off. He turned around as Jude yanked the diaper open, leaving him on Infernostars bed in the nude. "I have an outfit you can put on for now." He tossed the new outfit on the bed, a dark red shirt with denim jeans and a pair of underwear.

"I had to account for size difference based on last time I saw you, so I might have been a bit off."

Jude smiled at Infernostar before quickly changing into the outfit. The shirt was way too big and hung off of his upper body, while the pants were tighter and more form-fitting. "Perfect" He said to himself, as he got up and walked in front of Infernostar.

"I assume we both had the same idea for what to do with that outfit?"

"Burn it to ash?"

"Burn it to ash."

"Later. For now, we might want to see what the others are doing to take care of Lucy."

Infernostar led Jude out into the main room, and upstairs. When they reached the 2nd floor, he saw his old team doing just what he expected them to do. Tying Lucy against a chair and pinning it against a wall. "God, I missed hanging out with you guys."

"LET ME GO!" Lucy screamed, trying to shake the chair she was stuck in. "THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT AN HAA OFFICER."

"It is to treat someone who has demeaned and hurt our closest friend" A Skarmoy said, who Jude recognized as Cordelia.

"Which is why we are doing this. To take care of the problem." Baron added. "Now do your stuff Artemis."

Jude noticed an Umbreon, clearly Artemis, walk up to Lucy and stare her straight in the eyes. Lucy's Golden eyes stared back, filled with panic and fear, while Artemis' red eyes were warm, yet strangely bitter.

"…My my, it seems someone has been busy with you. Let's get you all fixed up, shall we?" Artemis placed one of her paws on Lucy's shaking head. The golden patterns on her black fur glowed, as both of their eyes glowed.

"Now…Let's see what that monster convinced you was a good idea."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46:**

The inside of Lucy's head was rather peaceful. Artemis could easily gaze inside of her thoughts, seeing exactly what she was thinking, how she would respond to certain situations, and so on and so forth.

 _Alright. Let's get to work_ Artemis thought.

 _"_ _Lucy. This is your conscious"_

 _Excuse me?_

 _"_ _You've been living a lie. What you thought was clear thinking was corruption by an outside interference."_

 _Who are you to talk? What could I have done wrong?_

 _"_ _It's about Jude, Lucy."_

 _My little kit?_

 _"_ _Did he ever agree to be called that? Did he ever say he was ok with that?"_

 _No…But I do it to help him_

 _"_ _Help him do what exactly?"_

 _To help…him…_

 _"_ _Go on."_

 _…_ _I…don't…_

 _"_ _You've been deceived. He does not, never has, and never will, want to be treated this way."_

 _But…When I let him ride me home that one day, he enjoyed it._

 _"_ _And that's fine. But he never gave consent to all the things you have done to him. And do you know how he REALLY Feels about them?"_

 _I…I…_

 _"_ _He isn't happy."_

 _…_

 _"_ _He won't be happy if you force anything upon him. He is only truly happy when he is given the choice himself. No one to force him, guide him, or anything."_

 _…_ _Oh my God…What have I done?_

Outside of Lucy's head, Jude watched with intrigue. After a certain point, he noticed Lucy's eyes start to water, before a cascade of tears started to fall. _I think Arty did her job a bit too well_ he thought, as both of their eyes blinked before coming back into focus.

"There we go. I didn't find the one responsible, but I fixed the problem. Though I may have pushed it a bit hard on her." Artemis said, her golden markings losing their glow.

Lucy hung her head down in shame, tears occasionally falling to the ground. _I can't believe I did that to him_ she thought. _He'll never forgive me for breaking his trust._

Infernostar took Jude downstairs while the others untied Lucy. "I want to apologize for being so forceful" Baron said. "But we did it with the best intentions."

Lucy didn't move from that chair, despite being asked to join them downstairs. Soon the others grew tired of waiting and walked down as well. She just sat there, listening for the sounds of them happily conversing. But to her shock, she didn't hear anything from downstairs.

"…They must be waiting for me…" Reluctantly, Lucy stood up, taking a second to wipe the tears from her face. Once she felt decently presentable, she made her way downstairs. About halfway down she could see Jude and the others, sitting down in the living room.

Infernostar was sitting beside him on a black couch, with Baron and Artemis seated in two grey armchairs. Cordelia was perched on Barons chair, while Alucard stood on a nearby ottoman. Meanwhile Current was sitting in a large fish tank on a coffee table in the center, occasionally swimming around.

"…There she is." Infernostar said, drawing everyone's attention to Lucy. She kept her head down as she walked near where they were all sitting. She noticed the shadows of everyone grow bigger, as she heard wings flapping and footsteps towards her. _Oh no, here it comes._ She closed her eyes, and prepared for the worst to happen.

And then she felt Infernostar's embrace.

"Thank you."

"…Wh-What?" Lucy looked up in shock, the tears refreshed in her face. Infernostar looked down at her, for once his red eyes not glowing with power, but with warmth.

"You heard me. Thank you, for doing your best to try and make him happy."

"But…but I"

"Yes, I know. But you did it with the intention to try and make him happy. And even before that, when I first met you, you were genuinely sincere in how you treated him. You wanted him to feel welcomed in this world, free from forced judgement. For that, you have my thanks."

Lucy was at a loss for words, as she felt the others embrace her. Even Current, albeit with some difficulties, managed to lift themselves out of the water and embrace her.

"Thank you, for trying to help the one who reformed me." Said Baron.

"Thank you, for housing the one who gave me a home." Said Artemis.

"Thank you, for giving a chance to the one that gave me one." Said Alucard.

"Thank you, for healing the boy who nursed me back to health." Said Current.

"Thank you, for convincing him this world is not a cruel place, as he did to me" Said Cordelia.

Lucy's face flooded with tears, overwhelmed by the acceptance she felt from the Pokémon in the room. She thought for sure they'd be furious at her for what she'd done, but this reaction was completely unexpected. She tried to come up with a response, but just couldn't think straight in her position. That was when she felt one more embrace.

"Thank you, for being the best Mother I could ask for." Said Jude.

After that, Lucy broke down.

 **Sorry it was short this time. But I think it was worth being so short for once.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47:**

They stayed that way for what felt like hours. Once everyone was sure that Lucy got the message, they slowly broke away from the hug, and returned to their seats. When she eventually worked up the courage to ask why they would forgive her, Infernostar and Jude both answered.

"Because despite what you did, your reason behind it was to make him happy."

"And considering all you did to help me before that started, I knew it wasn't you that decided that was the best idea."

"…" Lucy kept silent, still bewildered at their acceptance of her, despite what she'd done. She was motioned over to sit on the couch, and the others started talking.

Everyone got involved in the conversation, including Lucy after some time. Jude got to listen in on how the others adapted to the world after the Revolution, while his team finally got to understand how his relationship with Lucy worked.

"I for one refuse to have to walk around in such chaffing outfits. My fur _IS_ my clothing" Said Infernostar, crossing his arms.

"You just wanted to be able to sit around naked."

"And get out of actually working"

"That only played a small part in my decision!" Infernostar retorted, causing everyone to laugh at his expense.

"To be fair, I don't want to imagine Infernostar with a job. Cause I know for a fact the place would just _mysteriously_ catch fire one day" Current added, sending their laughter into hysterics.

"Why would that be?" Lucy asked, somewhat concerned about why it was so funny. Jude took a second to stop laughing before answering.

"Infernostar…Has a problem with authority. He really hates it when others try to tell him what is right and wrong. Part of the reason we work so well together is because we recognized each other as equals, rather than one being a superior."

"No one tells me what to do. Unless I trust them to make the right decision." Infernostar put his arm around Jude's shoulder at that comment, cracking a half-grin.

"Oh, get a room you two." Alucard commented, causing them to go back to laughing.

 _Wow…_ Lucy thought. _They're so close, despite being separated for so long._ The more she watched, the more she could see how Jude considered them his family, rather than his team.

Lucy wasn't always just watching their conversation either. The others would often ask her questions, varying from her personal life to how she knew Jude. She was shocked they were so open about it, especially since they were just a few minutes ago tying her to a chair against the wall like deranged maniacs.

"Now. There is something pretty important we need to take care of" Infernostar said, drawing everyone's attention. "Whoever is responsible for putting those thoughts in your head is still out there. We must apprehend them as soon as possible. Any ideas?"

"Well...Whatever they are planning, they need me to be the one doing it. Once they realize I'm free from their grip they'll probably leap into action." Lucy said. "If possible, I feel that setting a trap would be the best course of action. We play innocent, continuing as if nothing happened, and once they try to do something, you guys enter and take them down."

"Hmmm. It could work, but that could be a bit risky" Baron said, putting a claw to his face. "If we want to catch them, we need to make them think we aren't on to them. Plus, if it really is a Psychic type, we have to be able to catch them without allowing them the chance to escape."

"We can handle that" Both Infernostar and Jude said, turning towards one another. "It won't be a problem."

"Excellent. Now…I can take a guess and say your home isn't exactly…right at the moment, correct?" Infernostar said.

Lucy's eyes widened when she realized what he was talking about. _Oh Arceus, he's right. I have so much stuff that needs to be removed, as well as getting my old furniture put back!_

"Just as I suspected. No matter, we can assist with that. After all, the more hands the better, am I right?"

"Th-Thanks." Lucy stammered, nodding her head in agreement. She was thankful that they were so willing to help her clean up the mess, since it would take forever to resolve by herself.

"Hey. Don't forget me." Lucy felt a hand on one of her paws, and realized it was Jude's. "I'll be there to help as well."

Lucy smiled at Jude's response. "Thanks." She said.

After a bit more talking, the group agreed to head to Lucy's home to amend the damage done by the instigator. Jude ran ahead with most of his old team, while Lucy watched from a safe distance with Infernostar. He got some weird looks while they walked, no doubt from being stark naked, but that didn't stop him.

"So, you were the officer that apprehended him while he was in the Wilderness, correct?" Infernostar asked.

"Apprehended I wouldn't say is the correct word. I wanted to solve the situation peacefully, and it was honestly a sheer fluke we got him. That tree did more work than I did." Lucy replied, causing infernostar to laugh.

"Just what I would expect from an officer of the HAA. Stoic and stern on duty, and a deadpan snarker off duty." He replied, making Lucy giggle.

"I also want to take this time repeat my thanks for helping him in this world." He said. "When we were separated, I feared that if he was captured, he'd be sent to a family that would treat him how they wanted, not how he wanted."

"No thanks are necessary. I was just doing my job, and trying to make sure he was happy."

"Of course. My apologizes. However, there is still one last thing I need to speak with you about."

"O-Oh. What would that be?"

After Lucy asked that, Infernostar came to a stop. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, looking lost in thought. Just as she was about to say something, he opened his eyes, and turned to her.

"When this is all over, I'm going back to the Wilderness. And I want to take Jude with me."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48:**

"E-Excuse me?"

"You know exactly what I said."

Lucy was in complete shock. _He wants to go back? And take Jude with him?_ Repeated through her head, as she tried to rationalize why he would want to do that.

"This world just isn't meant for someone like me. I did not ask for this world."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Before the Revolution, this world was a place where People controlled Pokémon, but there were some who lived as equals. Now, the world is a place where Pokémon are above people, and I've never seen a world more determined to stay that path. It is not right, and I cannot live like this."

"But, it doesn't have to be that way! Lots of Pokémon live with humans on an equal footing!"

"Oh, really? Care to give some examples?"

"Of course! There's…"

"…Go on."

"…Umm…" Lucy was at an impasse. She racked her brain to find a counter to Infernostars argument, but couldn't for the life of her think of one.

"Just as I thought. You couldn't even think to bring up yourself."

"!"

That comment made Lucy's jaw drop. _Oh my God, he's right. I try to treat everyone equally, but I didn't even consider myself an example…_

"This world is built around Pokémon being the boss now. I cannot, and will not, stand to live in a world like this." Infernostar shifted his gaze ahead, looking and Jude and the others, who were just arriving at the house. "And I know for a fact it's not something he wants either."

"But…But I"

"I am not going to ask now. I will wait for this situation to dissolve beforehand. I told you first because I know you are his Legal Guardian, and if he agrees, I want you to sign over ownership to me."

"…"

Infernostar didn't wait for a response, instead walking ahead to meet up with Jude and the others. Lucy was left alone, watching the seven of them chat. _That's right. Legally Jude is under my watch…But...I don't know if he wants to stay that way…_

Lucy soon met up with others, doing her best to avoid looking lost in thought. Luckily no one seemed to notice, as the group got to work reversing the damage in her house. Within just a few hours they'd completely removed the unwanted baby furniture, found Jude's backpack with its supplies intact, and were able to track down just what happened to all the old furniture. Turns out she'd never sold it, but had kept it all coped up in the attic.

"I don't even remember putting any of that up there." Lucy said, baffled at how she could have forgotten that.

"Whoever put you in that trance must have worked overtime, if you know what I mean." Artemis said.

"Makes you wonder what their motivation would be. Jude, did you piss off any Psychic types around here?" Cordelia added.

"Not that I can recall. Though I don't think it's a Psychic-type that's behind the entire thing, just one that was sent to do this shit."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lucy asked, turning her head to meet Jude's gaze.

"I'd bet money on it. There has to be a connection to them." He responded, his red eyes glowing with that statement.

"Who are you referring to exactly?" Infernostar inquired, raising an eyebrow. Jude turned around and looked directly at him.

"Let's just say this world is a fucked-up place, and some fucked-up Pokémon thought they could fuck-up my life." Jude looked about ready to smash through a brick-wall, but was able to contain the fury to just his eyes.

"…Alright. We will make them pay twofold then."

 _Several Hours Later…_

"…What?!" The Gardevoir was peering into the window of Lucy's home, checking up on their progress, and was stunned. All of their hard work had been completely reversed, without a trace of it ever happening.

"…How did they…No matter. I will get this back on track."

Quick as a flash they teleported into the room, quietly moving towards Lucy's room. They silently opened the door, and crept up to her unconscious body, raising a hand to her head. It started to glow, as Lucy stirred.

"…You may have escaped before…But this time you will not be so lucky."

"Oh you wish."

Before the Gardevoir had time to react they were tackled to the ground, as Lucy pinned their arms down to their sides. They attempted to struggle, but soon found themselves pinned with additional limbs, making them immobile on the ground.

"Hypnotize me once, shame on you. Hypnotize me TWICE, shame on ME." Lucy snarled, as she stared down the Gardevoir. They looked back at her, paralyzed with fear as the Luxray stared them down.

"Now, let's get down to business." Jude said, turning on the lights in the room. Everyone save for him and Artemis were holding the Gardevoir down, as he walked up to them and kneeled down.

"So, you think it's fun to try and make someone miserable, don't you?" He said, the tone of his voice eerily gentle, offsetting his eyes, which burned with rage.

"No…I do not…"

"Bullshit." He replied, kicking the side of the Gardevoirs head with his foot. "Give me answers. Who are you, and who was the asshole that put you up to this?"

"I…will never tell…my client…"

"Oh, so you _are_ working for someone else. Though what you may not expect, is that I can take a guess. Does the name…Martha Swamps, ring any bells?"

The Gardevoir did not respond, but their eyes told Jude everything. They couldn't contain the shock at his statement, making it pretty obvious who was behind this.

"Thanks for cooperating, is what I would say if you did. But since you didn't, I feel a better statement is, brace yourself." Before the Gardevoir could respond, Jude raised his boot and stomped down on their face, taking a moment to rub his boot into it.

"That might have been a bit much" Lucy said, as Jude removed his boot from the Gardevoir's now bleeding face. "She deserved it, but it still might have been a bit too far."

"I don't care. Now the main question is what to do with her, and how to deal with the apparently still kicking MUPIC assholes." Jude replied, looking all too ready to continue stomping should the need arise.

"I vote we hold off that plan until tomorrow. By then I can understand who these MUPIC Pokemon are, and how much I need to beat them senseless" Infernostar said.

"That's a good idea. Though we need to do something about this one first." Stark replied.

"I know what to do" Artemis said. She moved over to the Gardevoirs head, as her golden markings started to glow. "Let's get one thing straight here. If you so much as THINK about trying something like this again, your ass is grass. And to make sure of that, I think a bit of a nightmare is in order. Infernostar?"

Infernostar got up from his pin area, moving over to Artemis and taking one of her paws. She placed another one on the Gardevoirs head, causing them to wince slightly.

"Enjoy this image. For it will happen if you dare try this again."

 _…_

Fire. That was all there was to see. Endless Fire. It burned without reason, destroying anything, and everything, in its path.

"What…What is this…" The Gardevoir said. They couldn't move, as they stood in the center of the neverending blaze. The flames roared around them, burning a rainbow of colors as they consumed the landscape.

"THIS. IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN. SHOULD YOU EVER. TRY THIS. AGAIN." A deep voiced boomed. The Gardevoir presumed it was the voice of Infernostar, and started to panic, seeing just how destructive his rage looked in physical form.

"NOW. LEAVE."

The Gardevoir snapped awake, as Artemis' markings lost their glow. Everyone stepped away from them, allowing them to move freely.

"I said, LEAVE." Infernostar repeated, staring down the Gardevoir, his red eyes boiling with anger. Without saying a word, they teleported away, their last expression showing they wouldn't return.

"One down, four to go." Jude said.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49:**

After a day of rest to recover, Jude, Lucy, and the others headed for the Blackthorne City prison. Lucy had put in a special request the day before to allow them to speak with the four MUPIC members, being extremely specific in what the meeting would entail.

Jude was back to wearing his old outfit, but also wore a pair of black aviators. He walked between both Lucy and Infernostar, his arms crossed, and his teeth gritted. _I thought I took care of you four before. Guess you didn't quite learn your lesson yet_ He thought, as they approached the prison.

As they arrived, Lucy spoke to the guard in charge of meetings between prisoners and outsiders. "Yes, I am Officer Sparks. I hope the particular setup I asked for is ready." She said.

"Of course, Officer. Right this way." The prison guard said, leading the party into the facility. They passed by several doors, before entering on their right. This one led into a large, isolated room with no windows. In the center of the room there was a large glass panel separating the prisoners from the visitors, with another door on the other side for the prisoners to enter from.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Lucy asked Jude. He took a moment to remove his aviators, before looking back at her, his red eyes glowing. "Positive. I don't let people get away with stunts like this. I have a plan to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"Please don't tell me it involves what you did with that Gardevoir and Infernostar." Lucy said. She had no idea what Infernostar had done to the Gardevoir, but whatever went on inside their head left quite the impression to say the least.

"I make no promises" Jude replied, turning his attention to the glass. They could see the door on the opposite side open, as one by one, the four MUPIC members entered the room. They were all dressed in prison orange, with a Machamp security guard entering in behind them.

"You have five minutes." The guard said, before leaving and closing the door behind them. The Machamp turned and did the same, leaving the party on one said, and MUPIC on the other.

There was a dead silence between the two groups, before Jude stepped forward. "Been awhile. Enjoy being where you belong?" He said condescendingly, clearly wanting to milk this opportunity before getting to the real event.

"That is no way to speak to a lady, you naughty child." Martha Swamps replied, as she stepped forward. "Someone ought to teach you proper manners. You" she said, as she turned her attention to Lucy. "Should know better than to let your son behave so inappropriately. He needs to be properly punished."

"Silence." Infernostar said, taking a step forward himself. Martha took a second to size him up, her face slowly losing its color, as she stepped back.

"We did not come for your abysmal parenting ideals. We came here for answers." He said, staring them down, his red eyes burning with the desire to destroy.

"Correct. Tell us, did you have an association with a Gardevoir of any kind?" Stark added. The group immediately noticed the MUPIC members fear in their eyes, as the others looked away. Martha tried to calm herself and respond to that statement.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. The only Pokemon that I give the honor of socializing with are those with similar mindsets to how children should be _properly_ handled." She said coldly, though her eyes still showed a sense of doubt.

"Well then. What do you think about that, Jude?" Alucard said, perching on his head before getting shooed off.

"I don't buy it. Let's test it with something different. Infernostar? Artemis? Show them what I mean." Infernostar stepped to the side to allow Artemis some space, their golden markings glowing brightly.

"If you can answer this question again, we'll believe you. But that isn't likely." She said, as she stared down all four members of MUPIC with her deep red eyes. Infernostar grabbed a hold of Artemis' tail before closing his eyes. Within seconds the MUPIC members' eyes glazed over, locked in on Artemis' gaze.

 _…_

The world was pitch black. The only visible things around were the four MUPIC members, who looked around in confusion.

"Wh-Where are we?" The Tangrowth asked in confusion, shifting her gaze around nervously.

"Stay calm ladies. There is nothing these hooligans can show us that will hurt us." Martha replied, standing tall in the sea of nothingness. The others seemed less stern, but obediently nodded their heads in support.

Suddenly, a single, bright light appeared off in the distance, rapidly approaching the four of them. Before they could even react, it suddenly stopped, just a few feet short of them.

It was Infernostar. He was engulfed in a brilliant white flame, the heat unbearably intense for anyone that wasn't a fire type. The four MUPIC members could feel the sweat start to run down their foreheads, which sent them into a panic.

"W-Wait, you said we couldn't be hurt. Then why can I feel this sweat!?" The Blissey exclaimed, as the others started to freak out. Even Martha looked like she was silently shaking with terror, as Infernostars blazing body remained stationary in front of them.

"I shall ask again. Who is the Gardevoir you sent?" Infernostars voice boomed, sending the already panicking Pokémon into hysterics. It took all of Martha's willpower to not break down, as she looked back at him.

"I…I have no idea what you are talking about." She quietly responds. She prays that Infernostar did not pay much mind to her quiet answer, until his head suddenly snaps to her.

"SAY THAT AGAIN." He roared, as the area around them became engulfed in the same white fire that engulfed his body. The sweat poured down the four Pokémon like a raging river, as they each began to break down emotionally.

"I…I-I…"

"YOU SENT THE GARDEVOIR." Infernostar roared again, his red eyes glowing with a deep-seated hatred of what he saw. "ADMIT IT."

"N…N-N"

"YES, I ADMIT IT." Martha turned to see the Tangrowth, Susan, curled up in fetal position. "We called in a specialist to make sure that boy was treated the way he should have been treated. Like a newborn baby. I'M SORRY." She cried, tears and sweat pouring down their face.

"Oh my god, Susan!" Martha said, running over to her fellow MUPIC member. Being a grass-type, this situation was particularly nightmare-inducing for Susan. Martha embraced her as she turned back to Infernostar.

"WE'RE SORRY. WE'LL NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN. I SWEAR." She cried, as she held onto her trembling comrade.

"Good."

With that reality snapped them back to their senses, as the four MUPIC members recoiled from what had just happened. They were all still shaking in fear, as they just stared at Infernostar, not saying a word.

"I take it we found the ones responsible?" Jude asked, turning his head to face Infernostar.

"Correct. I've taken the necessary steps to make sure they never attempt anything of the sort for the rest of their lives." He replied, as the two of them stared at the four terrified Pokémon. To the four of them, the resemblance was uncanny; the two of them shared the same body language, blank yet intimidating expression, and fear-inducing red eyes.

"Fantastic. Now, you four won't be causing trouble anymore, correct?" Jude said. The four of them hastily nodded their heads, avoiding eye contact, as the guard Machamp reentered the room.

"Alright kid, times up. These four have to head back now." The guard said, as the four instantly rushed to return to prison. The guard looked after them with a confused expression, but quickly shook it off.

"Thanks. I think we took care of things rather well, if I do say so myself." Jude said, as the group made their way out of the prison, and started back towards Lucy's home.

"Ok, what exactly happened while you were…taking care of business?" Lucy asked Infernostar, a look of mild discomfort in her eyes.

"You might not want to know. Let's just say I gave them a solemn warning, and leave it at that."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"Don't be. My methods may be a bit forceful to some, but they will keep them in line from now on."

"I guess so. I'm just not a fan of your…style."

"You wouldn't be the first."

Soon the group reached Lucy's home. She invited everyone inside as most of them settled down in the living room. Lucy excused herself to the bathroom, leaving Jude to mingle more with his old team.

"Oop, hang on guys, I'll be right back." He said, getting up and moving towards his room. _I should get the picture for them. I know for a fact they'd be ecstatic to see its still intact._

When he entered the room, he made his way over to his desk and picked up the picture frame.

"Mind if I have a word with you?" Infernostar said, nearly spooking Jude. He turned his head to see him standing in the doorway, and smiled.

"Course partner." He replied, as Infernostar entered, closing the door behind him. Jude sat down on his bed as he held the picture behind his back, making sure to contain his excitement.

"Brother, there is something I need to tell you about. Something important."

"Well, out with it then. What is on your mind?" Jude asked. Infernostar looked down at the ground for a moment, taking time to find the right words to use. Once he looked satisfied, he turned his head up to Judes.

"I am going to be leaving for the Wilderness soon. Will you come with me?"


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50:**

"…"

"…"

"How long?"

"I leave at the end of the week. The others intend to follow at a later point, but for now will stay here."

"…I need time to think about it."

"I understand. Please let me know before I leave."

Without saying another word, Infernostar turned and left, closing the door behind him. Jude waited a moment, before pulling the picture frame out from behind him, looking down at it.

 _…_ _I should have known he would do this_ He thought. Infernostar was almost identical in mindset to Jude, so it was no surprise that he would want to return to the Wilderness. _But the real question is…Should I stay, or go…?_

The rest of the day was spent with Jude trying to keep Lucy from knowing, and Lucy doing the same to him. It made conversation between the two rather awkward, so instead they opted to just stick with interacting with Jude's team.

Through it all Infernostar didn't say another word about his decision. He kept rather quiet, preferring to watch the group talk instead. _I will not do anything to persuade him one way or another_ he thought; _Jude is more than capable of choosing for himself_.

Soon it came time for them to head back to their base. Jude and Lucy said their goodbyes, as one by one Jude's teammates left. Infernostar was the last to leave, turning his head to stare at the two of them for a brief moment, before turning and leaving.

"…Well. That was…awkward." Jude said, before turning to Lucy. She was staring at where Infernostar left, lost in thought. "Uhhh, mom?" He said, pulling her back to reality.

"O-Oh, sorry about that. I was just…thinking, is all." Lucy replied. _Did he already tell Jude his plans? And if he did, what am I supposed to do about it?_ She thought as Jude move in front of her and locked eyes with her.

"He told you first about it, didn't he?"

"…"

"…Well?"

"… _Sigh_ , yes. He warned me that he would tell you the news. I just didn't know when he would drop it."

"Infernostar told me he is going to leave at the end of the week. And that he wants me to go with him."

 _The end of the week? That only leaves three days for Jude to decide!_ "W-What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"I…am not sure. I need some time to mull it over for myself, decide what would ultimately be the best for me."

 _I don't like the sound of that_ Lucy thought. She anticipated Jude being tempted to leave, but the thought still scared her nonetheless.

"I have a request. Don't try to sway me in either direction. I want to make this choice without any outside interference." Jude asked. _I can imagine she wants me to stay, but I have to decide for myself_.

"O-Of course." Lucy didn't try to press further, knowing full well he was serious. _If I can't try and impact his choice, the most I can do is hope._

The two didn't discuss it any further that day. Soon after Jude retired to his room for bed, with Lucy soon doing the same. Jude laid down on his bed, and pondered the options.

 _Ok. It's time to start making a decision…_

"Let's start off with positives on both sides. On one hand, staying would mean I'd never go hungry. I'd never have to worry about being arrested, being injured on a lethal level, or getting lost. On the other hand, I'd be free to make my own choices, to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and be free from unfair prejudice."

Jude rubbed his head, unsure on what he could possibly go with yet. He wanted to be free, but being safe was something that he'd missed dearly.

"Ok, lets come back to that later. Negatives…" Jude shivered for a moment before continuing. "If I stay, there comes the issue of babying. Despite everything, I doubt its gone away. And if I stay, I can only imagine it'll come back full force. Or worse…I could awaken to find an acceptance of it…"

He took a moment to slap himself, both mentally, and physically, just for saying that.

"Ok, let's try thinking the other sides negatives. I'm likely to get stuck dealing with more issues with the HAA out there, even with Infernostar to defend me. If anything, he might actually make that worse…But never mind that. Other issues include environmental hazards, weather problems, disease, injuries, and running out of supplies. Though that also takes much longer to happen."

"What else can impact my choice…Oh right. Dealing with any friends/enemies I may have made during my time here, or from other parts of my life…Eh, that won't do much honestly. Frankly nothing scares me anymore."

"…Something different, but related. If I stay, my attitude won't do me any favors. It hasn't once since I've been here, in fact all it's done has gotten me into trouble. If I did choose to stay, I'd either have to come to terms with that, or…Change how I behave…"

"No. I can't do that. Not again."

Jude tried not to think about that last comment. It reminded him too much of the past, and he wasn't going to relive any of that.

"…I think that's enough for tonight. I'll work on making a decision in the remaining days." With that he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Lucy removed her ear from the wall. "…What did he mean by 'Not again'?"

 **Hmmmm. Thats a good** **question.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51:**

The next morning Lucy awoke to hear the shower running. As she got dressed and passed by the bathroom, she heard something else coming from it. "She packed my bags last…preflight…"

"Wait, is that Jude?" Lucy thought, putting an ear up to the door. She wouldn't be shocked normally about something singing in the shower, but Jude was a bit different. It just didn't seem like something he'd do.

"Zero hours…9 am…"

 _I should probably just ask him about it when he's done_ Lucy thought. She moved away from the door and left to go make breakfast.

Soon Jude exited the bathroom, running a towel through his hair. He had his usual attire on as he walked into the kitchen. "Morning" He said, sitting down on the couch.

"Morning, Mr. Music." Lucy teased, bringing out two plates for breakfast. She noticed Jude blush slightly at that comment, turning his head away. "What, did I say something I shouldn't of?" She asked.

"Erm…How much of that did you hear exactly?" He asked, still looking embarrassed. _Damn, was I really singing that loudly?_

"Enough to make out a few words. Though I don't think I've heard the song before. Mind if I ask what it was?" Jude put his hand on the back of his neck, looking a bit nervous. Lucy put down the plates on the coffee table and sat down next to him, putting a paw on his free hand. "You don't have to if its something important."

"…The songs pretty old. It came out long before the Revolution. It…" Jude trailed off from that, not sure if he should say anything else. Though he took notice of Lucy's paw, a silent request for him to continue. " _Sigh_ …It was my mothers favorite."

 _His mothers…That reminds me._ _I never did ask…And I might not get the chance soon_. Taking Jude's hand with both of her paws, Lucy looked him straight in the eyes. "I know you don't like to talk about it, but I haven't heard a word from you about your family before the Revolution. If its not too much to ask, I would like to know about them."

 _I was afraid this was gonna happen…_ Jude leaned back on the couch, contemplating. _…Its been long enough, she deserves to know._ "Ok. Get comfortable, cause this might open up some old wounds."

 _Thank you_ Lucy thought to herself, as he put his legs on the coffee table in front of him, and folded his arms behind his head.

"Alright, lets begin. To start, I lived with my Mom and Dad, Annabel and Troy McCoy. We lived out near Violet City. My family started out trying to raise me their way, sending me to school to take a more professional job. But once I encountered Pokémon for the first time, they knew that wouldn't work. So, they gave me their blessing to become a trainer. Once I left on my journey, they both wished me the best of luck, and asked that I do my best to keep in touch…"

"…I get the feeling there is something else in there. And I can guess it isn't a good thing." Lucy noticed that Judes eyes were starting to water. She decided not to say anything, not wanting to break his focus.

"…They wanted to keep in touch…" A single tear started to stream down Judes face as he held on that thought for a moment. "…That day…"

"That day?"

"…The day I left on my journey…there was an accident in town." Lucy had to stop a gasp from escaping her muzzle, trying not to make him stop. "…I have a newspaper in my pack." Jude suddenly got up and left the room, heading into his room.

 _…_ _So that's why he doesn't like talking about his family_ Lucy thought, as he came back, carrying his backpack in tow. He set it down on the floor, flipping it over to the back. There Lucy noticed a compartment she hadn't seen before, just barely visible between the shoulders. Jude unzipped the area, and pulled out a worn-out newspaper, which he silently handed to Lucy.

Lucy glanced at the title of the article. _Tragedy Strikes on the Outskirts of Violet!_. She was afraid what the contents of the article was, but continued regardless.

"Tragedy strikes as multiple cars are involved in a fatal accident just on the edge of Violet City. With 4 confirmed deaths and over a dozen injuries, this is a dark day on the cities history…" Lucy looked down at the names of those who were confirmed dead, and unfortunately, she saw just what she expected. Right at the top of the list were Jude's parents, Troy and Annabel.

 _Oh my Arceus…This was the day that he left! He didn't even get to say goodbye…_ Lucy looked up from the paper at Jude, who she could see was fighting back tears. "How did you first find out about this?" She asked, hoping it wasn't too much.

"The day after I left, while I was staying near a Pokémon Center…I heard reports of an accident. I asked for a copy of the newspaper, and…well…" Jude didn't finish his sentence, just sitting there, as tears silently started to fall down his face. Lucy stood up and sat down beside him, wrapping her paws around him in a hug, which he more than accepted.

 _It's been 5 years…I can't believe it…_

As the two of them sat there in silence, Jude felt grateful that Lucy was there for him. This was an old wound he could never reopen without losing it, but with her by his side he felt safe. All those times on his travels where he was afraid people might realize who he was, and contact child services, all those times he could have been separated from his Pokemon forever, were downright nightmare inducing. He couldn't begin to count the amount of sleepless nights he had out on his travels, fearing for his security should anyone decide to do some digging around his background.

That was when a thought crossed his mind.

 _…_ _If I stay, I have security. But if I go, I have freedom…I think I know what I must choose._

 **Seems like someone has made up their mind. I wonder what he picked...**


	52. Finale

**The day has finally come. I hope you all enjoy, and thanks for being a part of this wild ride. But don't worry. This isn't The End. This is only the beginning.**

 **Chapter 52:**

The day had come.

Jude and Lucy were making their way towards his teams' home, with Jude wearing his backpack. He hadn't told Lucy what his decision was, as he planned to drop the news at base. Before she jumped to conclusions he explained he brought his backpack for both options, and that she should wait until he announced his choice.

After walking in silence for a bit, they arrived outside of the house, with Jude's team waiting for him. Infernostar was wearing a pack of his own, the rest of the team preparing to send him off. He motioned in Judes direction when he saw him, causing the entire team to turn around as they approached.

"The time has come" Infernostar said, adjusting the straps on his pack. "What is your decision?"

Jude stayed silent, just long enough to Lucy to turn her head toward him. _Please, make the right choice_ was all she could think, before he opened his mouth to answer.

"…I'm coming with you."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock, as she held back a gasp. _WHAT?!_

"I am glad to hear it. Though I see someone was not given the news beforehand." Infernostar replied, drawing attention to Lucy. Flustered at them noticing her reaction, she tried to shake it off as she looked over at Jude.

"Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But after running the idea through my head countless times, I came to the conclusion that this is the best option."

Lucy tried to think of something to say. She was worried that this would be his choice, and had been praying to herself that he would decide to stay. _What can I do? I want him to stay, but…He'd rather go back._

"Please listen." Jude said, snapping her attention back to him. "I know full well that I would most likely find happiness, regardless of which side I chose. But if I were to stay, I'd be giving up my freedom for safety. And to be honest, that's not something I am willing to let go of."

 _His freedom…_ Lucy pondered that statement. If he had stayed with her, she'd do everything in her power to make him happy, regardless of what it would take. But, the lengths she was willing to go didn't mean anything if he didn't feel that he could decide for himself. The world as Lucy knew it was, without question, not going to give him that freedom he desired.

"…If that is what you really want, then I will agree with it." Lucy replied, staring into his eyes as her own started to water. Jude's red eyes lacked their usual anger or passion, and seemed…strangely, sad.

"Thank you" Infernostar said, as Stark approached them, carrying some paperwork. "Stark here has the necessary paperwork to transfer ownership of Jude to me. Please sign here and we may depart." Infernostars voice did not carry any scorn or malice. His voice was neutral, showing he meant no ill-will to Lucy about the outcome.

Slowly, Lucy signed the papers, with Infernostar soon adding his own as the new guardian of Jude. To top it off, Jude signed the bottom of the page, signifying the transfer as complete. With that Stark placed the paperwork inside of one of the compartments on Infernostars pack, sealing it inside.

"The time has come. Shall we?" Infernostar said, gesturing with one of his arms towards the forest.

"One moment." Jude said, stepping towards Lucy. She wasn't sure what he was going to do, when he suddenly hugged her. "It hurts to say goodbye, so I won't." He whispered to her, as she wrapped her paws around him, tears starting to run down her face.

"If you won't, then I won't either." She replied, sniffling slightly, as she looked him in the eyes, and smiled. Jude reached up and wiped some off the tears off her face, smiling right back.

Jude didn't say another word to her after that. Once they broke free from the hug, he moved over to Infernostar, who asked a 2nd time if he was ready. Jude nodded his head, and the two slowly made their way into the woods, eventually disappearing from sight.

 _…_

Lucy went home soon after that. She had to keep focused to not let any more tears fall on the way home, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention. It just wouldn't be right for an Officer of the HAA to be seen crying her eyes out in public.

Soon she arrived home and quickly let herself inside. As she moved into the kitchen to start work on dinner, she noticed something.

There was an envelope on the countertop.

Quickly she nabbed the letter and sat down on her couch, ripping it open and pulling out the letter inside. _Oh my Arceus, there's more_ she thought, as she started to read it.

 _Dear Lucy,_

 _By the time you read this, I'm already traveling through the woods with Infernostar. First, I wanted to say I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. But I knew if I did you'd do everything in your power to try and convince me to stay._

"Well…He's right about that." Lucy said to herself.

 _I choose this path because I want to be free. The world is no longer safe for someone like me. If I stayed with you, even if you didn't, the rest of the world would expect me to be nothing more than a child to you. I'd be unable to make my own decisions, and I would never truly be happy knowing that._

"Of course…"

 _But that doesn't mean the decision was easy to make._

"What?"

 _Regardless of those downsides, I was in a constant struggle to decide what I wanted to do. I will have likely said before leaving I'd rather be Free than be Safe. But if it meant getting to stay with you, I would still be willing to make that choice._

 **"** **Gasp"**

 _I didn't leave because I wanted to leave you. I left because I wanted to leave the world you were in. If it weren't for that, my final decision would have been very different._

"…" Lucy couldn't even comment, fresh tears beginning to fall down her face.

 _You showed me a New Perspective, that not every Pokémon was all but ready to take control and treat humans like babies. You will never catch me saying this out loud, but I can do it here._

 _I love you._

At that point the tears went from a light drizzle to a cascading waterfall, Lucy no longer being able to hold them back. Before breaking down, she forced herself to finish the letter before fully losing it.

 _One last thing you should know. This isn't goodbye. This is only See You Later._

 _Love, Jude Sparks._

 _…_

"Jude?"

"Yes?"

"You wrote the wrong last name on the form."

"No I didn't."


End file.
